Chapter 98: Ch.98 Melee Sorcerers Always Lose
In the command room of the spaceship, Charlie once again met Thanos.
"Spider-Man, it's been many years. How are you...?"
"I'm fine."
Charlie interrupted Thanos' small talk, getting straight to the point: "I need your help."
Thanos paused, then rose from his golden throne.
"Of course. You once helped me, now it's my turn to help you. What do you need me to do?" he agreed without hesitation.
"Deal with a very troublesome guy. He's a dark sorcerer," Charlie said.
"A dark sorcerer?"
Thanos chuckled. "Sounds interesting."
"Not just interesting, but also dangerous. You should be prepared."
Hearing this, Thanos' face gradually turned serious.
"Even for me?" he asked.
Charlie nodded firmly. "Of course. I've fought him several times, and every time I've been defeated instantly."
"You were killed by him?" Thanos raised an eyebrow.
"It's just a metaphor."
"Oh, sorry. Well, I might need to test your strength then. I need to know how much stronger he is compared to me."
"Alright, I'll cooperate."
With that, Charlie shot out spatial webs with both hands, instantly launching himself like a slingshot.
Boom!!
The wind roared as the air burst apart. Thanos blocked Charlie's attack with one hand, his figure as steady as a mountain.
"You're stronger than before, but I'm even stronger."
Thanos' mouth curled into a smile, and he threw Charlie into the air with a flick of his wrist.
Whoosh!
Charlie shot another spatial web, repeatedly shifting positions in mid-air.
Thanos watched silently, showing no intention of counterattacking.
Such strange webs.
Buzz~
The next moment, Charlie's upside-down triangle eyes turned blood-red, and his red and blue figure turned black, attacking once again.
Boom!!
Buzz~
As darkness erupted, black spider spears tore through the air.
It seemed Thanos was prepared for this. Years of combat experience allowed him to respond instantly.
He stepped back, avoiding Charlie's wild punch, while quickly extending his massive hand to grab the black spider spear, completely ignoring its sharpness.
Clang, clang, clang-
"Got it."
Sparks flew as Thanos grasped the spear, his terrifying strength far surpassing Charlie's, swinging the spear and slamming Charlie into the ceiling.
Boom!!
The command room shook violently, and the metal ceiling caved in deeply.
However, as Charlie was slammed into the ceiling, the translucent web in his hand tightened, and the web traps spread around Thanos began cutting into everything.
Crack, crack, crack-
Poof-
Thanos staggered for a moment, pieces of metal falling from his armor.
"This..."
Seeing the web trap that had appeared, Thanos' expression changed slightly.
He patted his armor, shaking off more metal fragments.
"Not bad. You almost hurt me."
With that, he reached out and effortlessly tore the web trap apart.
Charlie flipped off the ceiling, rubbing his sore shoulder.
"Almost doesn't count." He knew his limits.
Thanos clapped his hands. "So, the dark sorcerer you mentioned is indeed powerful."
Charlie shrugged. "I fought him a few times and never even touched him."
Thanos' expression turned serious, and he waved a hand. "Ebony Maw, tell Loki to bring back the Space Stone. I'm going to Earth personally."
"What?!"
Ebony Maw, who was standing guard at the door, was taken aback when he heard this.
He glanced at Charlie, shocked.
Who was this guy, capable of prompting the great Thanos to act personally?
"Understood, great Thanos."
Ebony Maw turned to find Loki, while Charlie pondered for a moment before speaking again.
"Thor is also a powerful ally. We need his help."
Thanos nodded. "No problem. Loki will convince his brother to temporarily join us. After all, he's Odin's son, and should be somewhat capable."
"That's not convincing, that's deceiving," Charlie said.
"Deceiving family is normal," Thanos replied.
"Yeah, I've got experience in that."
Soon, Thanos gathered the Black Order, along with Loki and Thor, and they stepped into a space portal.
Buzz~
In just an instant, they arrived near an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of New York.
"Time is tight, we can't summon more soldiers, but I think this should be enough," Thanos said to Charlie.
Charlie nodded, glancing at the metal glove on Thanos' hand.
"You already forged the Infinity Gauntlet?" he asked.
Thanos shook his head. "This isn't the true Infinity Gauntlet, just a temporary substitute."
On the back of the glove, the Space Stone and the Mind Stone that Charlie had returned to him glowed faintly.
"Let's get this over with. I still need to take Loki home," Thor said impatiently.
He had no idea what kind of enemy he was about to face.
Seeing Thor's disrespectful tone, Ebony Maw wanted to teach him a lesson.
But under Thanos' gaze, Ebony Maw obediently remained silent.
"I sense magical energy up ahead," Horned Loki pointed.
"Let's go."
Thanos led the way, and they soon reached a twisted spatial barrier.
Buzz~
Thanos reached out to touch the barrier, but before he could do anything, Thor, being impatient, spoke up.
"Let me handle this!"
Boom!!
Thunder rolled in the night sky as Mjolnir struck the barrier.
Boom!!
Electric currents shot in all directions, and Thor was sent flying by the terrifying recoil, crashing into the ground in a sorry state.
"My brother, you're as brainless as ever," Horned Loki mocked.
Thor was indignant. "Hmph, I wasn't ready. Let me try again."
"No need."
Thanos waved his hand, the Space Stone glowing faintly, and the dimensional barrier opened.
"Spatial magic requires the power of space," he said calmly.
"Let's go!"
Buzz~
Once again, they stepped into a space portal and arrived in a strange world.
Sky, earth, trees, and rocks all moved irregularly.
The abandoned warehouse in the sky swayed in the wind, dark formations writhed, and terrifying darkness spread, with figures already consumed within it.
Not far away, on a small island made of piled rocks, a golden magic formation flickered, but even more terrifying darkness quickly enveloped it.
"There!"
Charlie pointed towards the island, and Thanos activated the Space Stone without hesitation.
Buzz~
The portal reappeared, and the Black Order charged through it first.
"For the great Thanos!!"
Black Dwarf roared as he emerged from the portal, his battle axe slamming towards the bald sorcerer holding the golden formation.
"Hmm?"
The Ancient One noticed the sneak attack, quickly raising a shield and stepping back, allowing the giant battle axe to crash into the ground, creating a terrifying crack.
"Idiot, you hit the wrong person."
Ebony Maw cursed under his breath, his fingers twitching, causing the surrounding stones to float into the air and turn into sharp stone spears.
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, countless stone spears shot towards the dark figure, only to be blocked by dark magic formations.
"Attack!"
The next moment, Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight leaped up, weapons in hand.
Buzz~
Boom!
The spear, with a blood-red glow, stabbed into the dark formation, while the Soul Blade swept through, twisting the void itself.
Bang!
The figure in the darkness was shattered, only to reappear behind the pair.
"Behind you!"
Ebony Maw shouted in warning, his fingers tightening as elegant stone pillars erupted, lifting him upwards.
Simultaneously, stone pillars shot from the ground, forming a cage to trap the dark figure.
Black Dwarf and the others lunged once more, intensifying the battle.
Emerging from the portal, Charlie was stunned by what he saw.
"They can actually fight the boss?"
Thanos chuckled. "They've fought alongside me for many years. They're capable."
But Charlie still felt uneasy. He approached the Ancient One.
"I'm Charlie Parker. Where's Tony?" he asked.
The Ancient One wasted no words. "Follow me."
She opened a golden portal, leading the three of them to the dark formation inside the warehouse.
"They're in there."
The Ancient One pointed at the formation, forming seals with her hands as golden light slowly dispelled the dark energy.
"I need time to pull them out," she said.
Suddenly, the warehouse shook violently, the walls twisting and crumbling under the dimensional pressure. Another Dark Stephen, wrapped in dark energy, charged forward.
Thanos glanced at the figure, throwing a punch.
Boom!!
The massive force shattered the shadow.
"That's just an avatar," the Ancient One reminded.
She paused. "And so am I."
"What?"
At that moment, Charlie had a realization.
Looking up, he saw the stars in the night sky twinkle, and a golden meteor descended at an angle. Dark Stephen's true body appeared like a demon, filling the entire sky.
"Ancient One, you've grown old."
Dark Stephen's face twisted into a hideous grin, as the strange object on his forehead wriggled, and a sinister third eye opened.
Shah!!
Instantly, countless dark creatures shot out, quickly forming a monstrous demon dragon.
Roar~~
The demon dragon roared, and hellfire spread downward, covering the entire dimensional space in scorching heat, with the ground showing signs of melting.
"What?!"
Thanos' expression changed. Was this the power of the so-called dark sorcerer?
Buzz~
Before the hellfire could spread, a massive golden spark opened a portal, swallowing all the hellfire.
Crack, crack, crack.
On the ruined ground, the frail, bald sorcerer stumbled, her face as pale as a ghost.
"Break this world. Otherwise, his power will only grow stronger," the true Ancient One shouted towards Charlie and the others.
"Break what exactly?!"
Charlie's face darkened. How was he supposed to deal with such chaos?
Looking back at the Ancient One's avatar, under her magic power, Tony's head finally emerged from the dark formation.
"Help."
Charlie flew over to the dark formation, pulling Tony out.
Next came young Steve.
"I saw something strange below," young Steve gasped.
"Below?"
Charlie had an idea. "Thanos, attack here."
"Understood."
Thanos raised his gauntlet, with the Space Stone and Mind Stone glowing brightly.
Though the power they enhanced wasn't as great as the Power Stone, the energy they contained was still formidable.
Boom!!
The blue and golden light intertwined, forming a beam of energy that poured into the dark formation, causing the entire dimensional space to tremble violently.
But it still wasn't enough.
"Spidey, give me a hand," Thanos called out, pulling a Titan relic from his pocket.
"On it."
Charlie reached out to touch the relic, and a spider totem glowed faintly on his chest.
Buzz!
As the red and blue light poured into the dark formation, the dimensional mirror shattered.
"What?"
The dark energy was rapidly weakened, and Dark Stephen's face darkened.
"How is it possible? How can that insect's power be..."
The next moment, the true Ancient One crouched down and drew a golden formation, and the shattered dimensional mirror reappeared.
But this was not a world of darkness.
Blue skies, white clouds, earth, lakes, and forests.
A golden sun hung in the sky, and the power of white magic began to suppress Dark Stephen.
"No!!"
Dark Stephen howled at the sky, as darkness condensed around him, and multiple avatars shot out, rapidly taking over the entire sky.
"What?"
Ebony Maw and the others, who had just dealt with one dark avatar, were completely shaken.
Countless dark avatars fired dark ropes, while the Ancient One didn't back down, sweeping her hands to form a golden sword, severing many of the dark ropes.
But still, some avoided the sword and attacked Charlie and the others.
Buzz~
A blue portal bloomed as Thanos ignored the dark ropes and teleported behind Dark Stephen.
"Got you."
Thanos threw a punch, and the light of the stones flared once more.
"What?!"
Under Dark Stephen's shocked gaze, the massive fist smashed down.
Boom!!
The air exploded, and Dark Stephen's body shot towards the ground like a cannonball.
Before he hit the ground, the webs attached to the void flung him back into the sky.
"Again!"
Thanos, his blood boiling, grabbed his double-bladed sword from a space portal.
Boom!!
With several hundred tons of force behind it, the sword's blade, carrying a whirlwind, ripped through the darkness.
At the same time, the true Ancient One stepped into a portal, appearing next to Dark Stephen.
Charlie also shot out of his web slingshot.
But seeing the Ancient One engage in melee combat at that moment, Charlie knew it was over.
Wait, where were Loki and Thor?
The thought had barely formed when Dark Stephen's mouth twisted into a cruel smile, and a demon dragon emerged from his chest, swallowing the three attackers.
"Roar!!"
The dragon's roar shook the heavens, hellfire spreading from its mouth, engulfing Ebony Maw and the others in dark avatars.
In the distant forest, Loki and Thor were still arguing.
"You are my brother!"
"I'm not. We're not even related."
"That still makes us cousins."
"No!!"
"Come back and apologize to Father."
"Impossible. I'm about to become the king of Earth. Thanos promised me."
"He's already dead."
Thor pointed at the hellfire raging in the sky. "You can come back with me now."
Loki was stunned.
"They're dead, so how do we go back?"
Thor: "..."
Before long, darkness swept over, and Mjolnir fell into the ruins.