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Ch. 255 Obtaining the Space Stone
🕑 Added 2024-01-07 16:00:09 +0000 UTCAs soon as the original body began to cast magic attacks, the images of ikonn magical spell generated tangible duplicates that also began to cast various spells.
Magic whip!
The Sacred Sword of Vishanti!
The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!
Rings of Raggadorr!
...
Without the need for Russell to personally instruct them, these tangible duplicates, all identical to him, began to cast various spells that he was proficient in.
In the blink of an eye, there were dazzling and colorful lights around the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
Although the magic that Russell and the duplicates were currently casting wasn't exceptionally powerful, their sheer number was astounding.
More importantly, these spells, when they hit the spherical energy barrier surrounding the Cosmic Cube, each consumed a portion of the barrier's energy.
While they couldn't completely penetrate the barrier, Russell didn't mind. He had no intention of breaking through the energy barrier with this approach.
What he wanted was to create vulnerabilities in the energy barrier generated by the Cosmic Cube, giving him a chance to make contact with it, or in other words, to gain an opportunity to claim the Cosmic Cube for himself.
Under the relentless onslaught of various spells, the seemingly impregnable energy barrier, which had no visible weak points, began to change visibly.
With the expenditure of energy and the delay in its replenishment, the pale blue energy barrier started to exhibit ripples, both large and small, like waves.
Seeing this change, Russell and the duplicates accelerated their attacks.
Since learning magic, Russell had finally found a way to utilize the divine power within him.
Although he had always used this divine power as if it were mana, he had never experienced a situation where his "mana" ran out until now.
In simpler terms, it felt a bit like running low on kidney energy.
Even though this was his first time experiencing this "mana exhaustion," Russell was certain he didn't like the feeling at all.
The seemingly boundless divine power within him was rapidly depleting due to the unrestrained casting of spells by dozens of tangible duplicates.
Just as he began to unconsciously wonder if his divine power would be enough to exploit any vulnerabilities in the Cosmic Cube's energy barrier, he saw the energy barrier start to develop small and large holes.
Success!
While the Space Stone possessed nearly infinite energy, it was clear that, in terms of energy manipulation, it was no match for even a novice mage like Russell.
Under the relentless bombardment by Russell and the duplicates, the Space Stone's crude method of repairing the energy barrier finally showed uncontrollable delays.
Seeing the appearance of various-sized holes in the energy barrier, Russell didn't hesitate and immediately ceased his attacks.
Although he stopped attacking, his duplicates continued to do so.
With the attacks halted, Russell flew to the surface of the pale blue spherical energy barrier and took a deep breath.
Then, he extended a lightning-fast right hand into one of the holes in front of him.
Although the energy barrier seemed thin from the outside, it was teeming with energy that was imperceptible to the naked eye within its spherical enclosure.
As Russell reached into the hole with his right hand, he couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Superficially, the energy barrier created by the Cosmic Cube appeared to be only a thin layer.
However, in reality, it was brimming with an immense amount of energy that felt like a scorching lava flow when he touched it.
The sensation was beyond description!
Had he not possessed good self-control, he would have instinctively pulled his hand back, just like an ordinary person touching a flame, the moment his hand entered the barrier.
Despite being unexpected, Russell endured the sensation, firmly grasping the spinning Cosmic Cube.
Gotcha!
After seizing it, the Cosmic Cube didn't immediately stop spinning but attempted to resist Russell.
While the Space Stone was undoubtedly one of the six Infinity Stones and a universal treasure, the transparent glass-like shell enveloping it was neither particularly precious nor formidable.
Once he had the Cosmic Cube in his grasp, Russell wasted no time and exerted force with his right hand.
Crack!
The square-shaped Cosmic Cube, like glass, shattered under Russell's forceful grip. Simultaneously, the spherical energy barrier burst like a bubble and vanished without a trace.
With the continuous energy output from the Space Stone halted, the blue-white beam shooting into the sky dissipated at a visible rate.
In a matter of seconds, the colossal portal in the sky, with a diameter of hundreds of meters, began to rapidly collapse.
The thunderstorm-like dark energy clouds at the edge of the portal rolled inward like waves toward its center.
The changes in the portal immediately caught everyone's attention.
Whether it was Diana, Tony, or others engaged in battles with Chitauri warriors or Outriders, or the New York residents fleeing for their lives, they all witnessed the portal's disappearance.
As the portal vanished completely, the New York City residents who had been fleeing in panic suddenly erupted into cheers.
Though they didn't know what had just happened, they knew one thing for sure: the gateway for alien invaders to attack Earth had disappeared.
Without new alien reinforcements, these invading extraterrestrial beings, who had been fighting the superheroes, were destined to be eradicated sooner or later.
It had to be said that the mental state of the majority of New York citizens was better than Russell had imagined.
Or perhaps, they had an unquestioning trust in so-called superheroes.
However, it should be noted that if people didn't have such a blind trust in superheroes, Russell would not have gone to great lengths to initiate the Superhero Serum whitewashing program or established the Justice League.
After shattering the Cosmic Cube and forcibly stopping the portal it had created, Russell immediately dispelled the images of ikonn spell, causing all the tangible duplicates, numbering in the dozens, to return to his body like souls returning to their vessel.
After dispelling the images of ikonn, he finally had the opportunity to examine the Space Stone in his hand.
At first glance, the Space Stone was an unassuming blue gem, roughly the size of a fingertip.
Apart from its sparkling blue light, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.
To the naked eye, the Space Stone didn't appear to possess any unique characteristics.
However, simply sensing the Space Stone's energy with his abilities revealed the astonishing nature of the gem.
Contained within the Space Stone was nearly boundless energy.
It was a magnitude of energy that couldn't be put into words.
Even the Sun, in the face of the energy contained within the Space Stone, seemed minuscule, like grains of sand.
After briefly sensing the energy within the Space Stone, Russell knew that this time he had struck gold.
Satisfied with his examination of the Space Stone, he stored it in his system space, taking great care to safeguard it.
As for the glass-like shards, they were casually discarded on the ground.
With these tasks completed, Russell didn't linger on Liberty Island. Instead, he flew towards the Chitauri warriors and Outriders attacking ordinary people.
He had to play his part fully!
Although he had obtained the Space Stone, leaving now would not be in line with his superhero image.
Diana was gaining reputation, and he couldn't afford to be lazy.
After the portal closed, Russell was not the only one who joined the battle.
Kara found Gwen and Peter and, while protecting them, made her way to Manhattan.
In addition to Kara, Gwen, and Peter joining the fight against the Chitauri warriors and Outriders, the Fantastic Four's Invisible Woman, Susan, the Thing, Ben, and the Human Torch, Johnny, also began eliminating the invading extraterrestrials while rescuing threatened New York City residents.
However, the most conspicuous figures were not Kara and Susan, or Russell and Diana, but rather the Symbiote Dragon, Grendel, and the White-Zetsu warriors.
Grendel needed no introduction; his colossal size and imposing appearance made him the center of attention wherever he appeared.
Moreover, after flying into the skies of New York, Grendel immediately locked onto the Leviathan creatures, which were similarly gigantic to him.
Grendel not only locked onto the Leviathans but chose three of them simultaneously for a primal and wild aerial battle.
As for the White-Zetsu warriors who had accompanied Grendel, their approach was somewhat different.
While Grendel resembled a menacing dragon from myth, it was known that he, like Godzilla, was a member of the Justice League.
The White-Zetsu warriors, on the other hand, were an entirely different matter.
Although these White-Zetsu warriors had been around for some time, Russell had never allowed them to reveal themselves to outsiders.
Not even the New York City residents knew of the existence of the White-Zetsu warriors, let alone Kara, Gwen, and the others.
Furthermore, once the White-Zetsu warriors entered their Zetsu forms, which featured sharp fangs and demonic claws, they bore a slight resemblance to the Outriders.
Apart from the difference in color, the White-Zetsu warriors and the Outriders even appeared to be different breeds of the same species.
However, the White-Zetsu warriors swiftly proved their distinctiveness through their actions.
With physical attributes that far surpassed the Outriders and an almost cheating-level of regenerative ability, the White-Zetsu warriors, after arriving in the city, charged headlong toward the Chitauri warriors and Outriders like starving wolves.
They hadn't even reached the city yet, but Russell had already issued an absolute order through the King's Serum for them to completely annihilate the Chitauri warriors and Outriders.
As Russell's first, and currently, the only organized force under his command, the White-Zetsu warriors certainly did not disappoint him.
Though New York was still in chaos, the addition of Russell, Kara, and the others to the battle, along with the involvement of Grendel, immediately turned the tide.
The Chitauri warriors and Outriders, who had been recklessly charging around, quickly suffered fatal blows they could not withstand.
Russell, like a human missile, flew through the city at high speed, occasionally firing heat beams from his eyes, destroying Chitauri flying vehicles and encountering Chitauri warriors, Outriders, and other threats.
Though he was focused on eliminating these foes, he didn't forget to rescue New York City residents who needed assistance.
For Russell and Diana, the Chitauri warriors and Outriders posed no significant threat.
However, for ordinary people in New York and superheroes like Mr. Fantastic, Reed, and Invisible Woman, Susan, who didn't have such extraordinary physical abilities, the attacks from the Chitauri warriors and Outriders remained highly dangerous.
Mr. Fantastic, Reed, had a unique physiology that allowed him to withstand impacts and metal bullets without harm.
However, the Chitauri warriors were equipped with energy weapons that could harm him.
In addition to the Chitauri warriors' energy weapons, the razor-sharp claws of the Outriders could cause him significant trouble.
However, the most challenging situation at the moment wasn't for Mr. Fantastic but for the Invisible Woman, Susan.
While Susan could generate energy force fields, her physical abilities were not particularly outstanding, only slightly better than those of an ordinary person.
In fact, her physical abilities were far inferior to those of Russell and Diana, who possessed astonishing physical attributes, and even slightly less than Gwen and Peter, who had more modest physical capabilities.
Under normal circumstances, Susan would only need to provide support, leaving the front lines to the Thing, Ben, with his rocky body, and the Human Torch, Johnny.
But now, the number of Chitauri warriors and Outriders far exceeded the usual scale of battle.
Even with the portal closed by Russell, New York City still teemed with thousands of Chitauri warriors and Outriders.
If not for the fact that these Chitauri warriors and Outriders were now scattered across different districts, Susan wouldn't be able to hold her own, and even Ben would struggle.
Russell initially dealt with enemies he encountered casually.
To him, whether he faced Chitauri infantry, Chitauri giant apes, or Outriders with four arms, it made no difference; they all fell to a single move.
However, when he flew to the neighborhood near the Baxter Building, the headquarters of the Fantastic Four, and saw the dire situation of Mr. Fantastic and the others, Russell did not hesitate to lend a hand.
His involvement immediately turned the tide.
The Thing, who had been pinned down and mauled by a group of Outriders, was rescued, and Chitauri warriors who were firing relentlessly at Mr. Fantastic were cut in half by Russell's heat vision.
Susan, who had been surrounded by Chitauri warriors and Outriders, was lifted out of the fray by Russell and brought to the rooftop of a nearby high-rise building.
