As time passed, the black hole above everyone's heads grew larger.
"Crack!"
Garus vaguely heard the sound of glass shattering from above. The once intact mirrored dimension was no longer whole, exposing their battle to the public eye. A hovering helicopter broadcasting live captured the scene in its entirety.
"Look! What is that?" New York City residents in the real world saw the distant black hole devouring everything. Vehicles parked on the roads below and loose debris began to lose weight, slowly floating upward towards the gravitational pull.
At this rate, the black hole would continue expanding until it swallowed the entire city—perhaps even the entire planet.
"What should we do?" The sorcerers of the Ancient One's Order were already straining to maintain the barrier, but the overwhelming gravitational force left them powerless. With a sharp, audible crack, the protective boundary vanished.
Having unleashed the black hole, Stardust was nearly drained of energy. He noticed Garus still had some fight left in him, but he remained calm—everything was going according to plan.
"Prepare to be consumed by the black hole. I'll return to claim my spoils." Stardust's voice echoed in everyone's minds.
They watched his glowing white form fly into the black hole, completely unaffected by its gravity.
Wouldn't he be torn apart by the gravitational pull? Reed doubted his own knowledge at that moment.
There was no time to ponder. Within seconds, the black hole expanded to hundreds of meters in diameter, accelerating its growth.
Garus turned to the Reality Stone. With an Infinity Stone in hand, infinite possibilities existed.
He triggered the Reality Stone with death energy. Red particles emerged once more, drifting towards the black hole.
Everyone watched as the crimson mist from Garus' weapon touched the black hole without being absorbed. Instead, it halted the black hole's expansion.
But Garus wasn't satisfied. He hadn't erased the black hole—was his power insufficient?
On the other side, Stardust sensed an unknown force assaulting his creation.
"The Reality Stone?" He realized he'd underestimated Garus. He hadn't expected a mere mortal to wield an Infinity Stone with such control.
This couldn't be allowed. Behind Stardust was a star, supplying him with enough energy to stabilize and enlarge the black hole.
...
Without the black hole's pull, Dr. Reed approached Garus. "This is an artificially created black hole. Theoretically, if it consumes enough energy in a short period, it will collapse and disappear."
That was easy enough. The Space Stone contained infinite energy. If the Reality Stone failed, there was another way.
The black hole expanded once more.
"It's growing again," Kingpin warned.
"No problem." A blue beam shot from Garus' hand, endlessly feeding into the black hole.
As expected, the Space Stone's energy outmatched the black hole. It began shrinking at an increasing pace.
Through the Space Stone, Garus sensed a familiar energy on the other side of the black hole.
Stardust was still there—controlling the black hole from within. So that was his trick.
Gripping his weapon in one hand, Garus extended the other, unleashing a wave of death energy toward the now-calmer black hole.
Death's Grasp crossed hundreds of meters, piercing through the black hole and seizing Stardust on the other side.
Get over here!
Caught off guard, Stardust was yanked through the vortex, finding himself back on the battlefield before he could react.
Confusion filled his expression.
Garus acted quickly, layering death energy bindings around Stardust's body. Not entirely reassured, he froze him in ice for good measure.
"Hold him down," Garus ordered the others, resuming control of the Space Stone to neutralize the black hole.
With Stardust imprisoned, Garus summoned a floating lich.
Under Garus' watchful eye, the lich produced an iron chain and returned to the Death Realm.
"What's that?" Susan asked.
"A magical chain—used by liches to anchor souls to their shells. It will lock his mind as well. With so many bindings, I doubt he'll escape."
Susan pressed on. "What will you do with this alien?"
"He holds immense energy—perfect for powering a starship."
Johnny collapsed onto the ground. "Garus, are there many beings like him in the universe?"
Everyone knew Garus had traveled the cosmos. He must have seen countless things.
"More than you imagine." Garus didn't mean to discourage them—he simply wanted them prepared. The real war hadn't even begun.
"Don't worry. With the Order's protection, there will be no great danger," Mordo reassured, leading the exhausted sorcerers forward. "And my master, the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One, can handle anything."
His voice brimmed with reverence.
Johnny sneered. "Then why didn't he show up this time?"
"My master is dealing with an even graver threat—Dormammu and his followers." Mordo hoped the Fantastic Four would join the Illuminati. Reed's knowledge and their combined strength were invaluable. "We must leave to guard the New York Sanctum. Dormammu's followers must not succeed."
As the sorcerers departed, Susan said, "Garus, we're leaving too. Keep an eye on Victor. He's still out there—I fear he has more schemes."
The battlefield lay in ruins.
Despite the mirrored dimension's protection, nearby blocks were still wrecked.
"Master, our key equipment and personnel are safe in the underground base. The damage isn't as severe as it seems." Kingpin had followed Garus' earlier warning, minimizing their losses.
Garus remained silent, floating into the air. Once more, he used the Reality Stone to restore the buildings. By now, it was child's play for him.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON