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Chapter 680: The Salesman and the Porter (Part 1)
🕑 Added 2023-10-24 10:50:54 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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Solus swallowed hard, clearly puzzled. He had scouted the area before landing and confirmed that there were no high-energy beings in this space. So, where had this multi-dimensional monster come from?
While the Morlun Family could be classified as multi-dimensional beings, their status in that realm was somewhat inflated.
Firstly, they were social creatures, much like humans who dominate Earth and have become the primary civilization. But could a single human defeat a tiger? An unarmed adult facing a powerful beast would likely end up as prey rather than a predator.
Collaboration was the strength of social creatures. However, species with societies tend not to have individuals with overpowering abilities. The Morlun Family was no different. As a group, they could survive in multi-dimensional spaces, but individually, they were no match for any multi-dimensional being.
Thus, whenever they entered a singular dimension, they would carefully scout to ensure there were no beings that could threaten them. They never expected to find a universe where beings could ascend or descend at will.
So, when they encountered the multi-dimensional Iron Sorcerer, they were stunned into inaction.
But Stark didn’t give them a moment to recover. In an instant, a storm of machines enveloped all members of the Morlun Family. The sight of diverse, mechanized formations bore an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Engines roared and gears ground against each other. The silent space was filled with vibrations, growing louder and more intense. When the Morlun Family tried to escape, they found themselves surrounded by a myriad of mechanical beings.
Seeing his family members continuously slamming against the mechanical barrier, Solus shouted, “Stay calm! Drain their energy, just as we did with the Cosmic Gods!”
After the initial panic, the Morlun Family members began to strategize on how to break free.
Solus took the lead, extending a hand towards one of the mechanical monsters. A gentle white glow emanated from his hand, turning into a beam that connected with the machine. The moment the white light touched the robot, it stopped moving. Seeing his attack was effective, Solus prepared to repeat it. But in the time it took to incapacitate one robot, thousands more had surrounded him.
Suddenly, Solus noticed that the robots close to him remained unchanged. However, newly produced robots from the Mother Nest were smaller and more numerous.
In the past, the Morlun Family had used their innate abilities and numbers to drain the energy of the Cosmic Gods. The demon gods might handle one or two of them, but with so many targets scattered, many demon gods lacked the capability to tackle multiple moving targets simultaneously.
Single attacks could only trap one or two, while group attacks consumed too much energy and were easily dodged. By this logic, they could wear down weaker demon gods through attrition alone.
But now, the tables had turned. Solus became the hunted, while the machines produced by Iron Sorcerer Stark rapidly identified the Morlun Family's weaknesses and evolved their attack strategies.
The Morlun Family’s ability to absorb energy was indeed formidable, but it was a singular attack. Even if Solus's beams could drain three to four targets simultaneously, they were up against billions of machines.
Draining one or two robots was pointless. These robots didn't directly use Stark's magical energy; they had their power sources. The time it took the Morlun Family to drain a single robot was enough for the Mother Nest to produce thousands more.
Moreover, there was a limit to the energy the Morlun Family could absorb. They couldn't absorb and digest simultaneously. After draining energy, they needed a safe space to convert it into usable power for battle.
But in this situation, where could they find such a safe space? Mechanical armies closed in relentlessly. If they didn’t drain the energy of the closest robots, they'd be attacked or killed. But if they drained too much, they risked overloading.
The Morlun Family was in a dire situation, and Solus knew that continuing this way was a dead-end.
Currently, he faced three types of robots. The first type was small, bird-like machines with incredible speed. They used their velocity to disrupt the Morlun Family's formations, making it impossible to maintain a defensive stance.
The second type was medium-sized, the primary force forming a mechanical shield. When united, they formed a formidable wall, continuously releasing energy pulses that disrupted the Morlun Family's teleportation abilities and steadily closing in.
The third type were turret-shaped, mounted on the defensive line created by the shield robots. They fired high-energy lasers powered directly by Stark's magic, causing significant damage to the Morlun Family. They were, by far, the most powerful weapons against them.
The shield robots formed a sphere, closing in steadily. The friction between their parts sounded like the grim tolling of a death knell. The turret robots calculated their firing trajectories, and with the bird-like robots disrupting the Morlun Family's formation, they targeted any missteps. In mere seconds, two members of the Morlun Family were left with gaping holes.
Solus raised his arm, letting out a roar, releasing an energy pulse. The surrounding machines were instantly obliterated.
A gap opened in the encirclement, but instead of leading a charge, Solus stood defiantly, shouting, "The heir is invincible! Charge!"
Seeing their leader undeterred, the other Morlun Family members rallied. But what they failed to notice was, after Solus released his energy pulse, the robots produced by the Mother Nest had evolved once again.
An odd-looking flying saucer-shaped machine was produced. Silently, they flew onto the back of the Shield Guardian robots and attached themselves with newly manufactured clasps.
Just as another member of the Morlun Family was about to emulate their leader, releasing pulse waves with stored power, a light shone from his hand. Instantly, the flying saucer robot erected a protective shield.
Multiple shields converged, forming a massive circular barrier. When the pulse wave descended, it was immediately repelled by the barrier, exploding in the vast expanse of space.
Soon, more of these flying saucer robots were produced. The first generation merely deployed shields, while the second generation introduced anti-missile robots that could directly intercept pulse waves. The third generation developed robots that could deflect the pulse waves, and the fourth began absorbing the energy from the pulse waves.
The terrifying prowess of the Iron Sorcerer lay in the amplification of Stark's intelligence by magic. When this intellect was applied to the Mother Nest of mechanical life, endless evolution and iterations allowed them to develop machinery that could perfectly counter any foe in mere seconds.
Raw materials, transport, assembly line processing, assembly, deployment to the battlefield, data feedback, material collection, analysis, redesign, and material reintroduction—under the blessing of boundless wisdom, time was condensed to its shortest, and the production process was manifested from magic energy. As time passed and more data accumulated, the Iron Sorcerer only grew stronger.
By the time Solus realized this, it was too late.
The mechanical army they faced had already accounted for every one of their weaknesses: small size, high speed, energy-absorbing shields, and a tightening encirclement.
Of the dozen or so family members Solus brought, only six remained. The others had succumbed to grave injuries and perished in space. Solus knew that his turn was imminent.
His meticulously groomed white hair had become disheveled. A wound on his arm, inflicted by a laser, was agonizing and wouldn't heal. Pain-induced redness flashed in Solus's eyes as he gritted his teeth, saying, "You forced me into this..."
In an instant, a white light emanated from Solus, transforming into bright tendrils connecting him to the six members beside him. They screamed in agony, shouting, "Chieftain! No! My life force... Ahh!"
Endless energy and life force flowed into Solus. In a moment, he too transformed into a demon god. Within his white demon god form, red lights connected in lines, looking eerily sinister.
In a moment, he was atop the individual space barrier, now as immense as Iron Sorcerer Stark. His voice echoed, "I could have become a demon god long ago. I just didn't because this form is cumbersome. You forced this!"
Iron Sorcerer Stark scoffed. Instantly, a mechanical storm ensued. Both sides were on edge, and a multidimensional space-level battle was on the horizon.
However, at that moment, a tiny figure darted to the previous battlefield where a few drained but still living Morlun Family members lay, awaiting their fate.
Helen ran to these members, looking around to ensure she wasn't being watched.
Suddenly, she grew immensely, almost as large as the previously revealed Mephisto. Numerous spikes protruded from her body, her pupils became vertical, and fangs reappeared. A monster, almost identical to the one from the comics called 'Day of Destruction', appeared in space.
She opened her mouth wide, consuming all the Morlun Family members in an instant. Then, white light began emanating from her eyes.
The Day of Destruction roared, and the white light turned into a mist surrounding her. In an instant, all remaining mechanical energy was drained.
Thousands of machines instantly became paralyzed. The life force within the deceased Morlun Family members was devoured, and as the white light grew more intense and was retracted into the Day of Destruction, she expanded until she reached the individual space barrier.
Elsewhere, the Ancient One, Mephisto, Thor, Loki, Odin, and other demon gods were in combat.
As Thor hurled a bolt of lightning at Mephisto, he glanced back and saw Frigga, who asked, "Where's Helen? Wasn't she with you?"
Taken aback, Thor looked down and realized Helen was gone. Engrossed in the fight, he hadn't noticed her disappearance. Frigga became anxious.
"Stop fighting! Odin, Thor, Loki! Helen's missing. Find her! This place is dangerous! You careless fools!"
The usually composed queen's rare outburst made the three men cower. They quickly began searching the surrounding space for Helen.
But then, a roar echoed closer, and Mephisto quickly dodged as a massive monster leapt onto the battlefield. With a snap, a demon god was devoured.
Shards of demon gods littered the ground, and upon contact with the monster's white aura, were instantly absorbed. Mephisto wailed, "My Member Gifts!"
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Next Chapter>>Chapter 681: The Salesman and the Porter (Part 2)
