Chapter 297: Arrival of the Celestials, Let's Register a Trademark First
The moonlight above the manor was dyed dark red.
Lin Nuo stood at the edge of the terrace and looked up at the clouds.
Free particles in the atmosphere were being rearranged by some force, and crimson energy pressed down from outer space into the stratosphere, shrouding half of Earth in an eerie twilight.
The alarms inside the manor were fully activated.
Emma walked quickly to the terrace, and the tablet in her hand had already lost its satellite connection.
Only chaotic images transmitted from all over the Worldremained on the screen.
Crowds on the streets of London looked up at the sky, all flights in New York stopped taking off, and large-scale abnormalities appeared on the load curve of the North America power grid.
The Star Umbrella fleet attempted to lift off, but the thrusters automatically shut down as they approached the edge of the atmosphere.
"The global satellite network is completely offline. There is no malfunction in the fleet's energy, but the control program refuses to execute the lift-off command. Someone has modified the basic physical parameters."
Emma suppressed the discomfort in her chest.
That pressure from high altitude did not act directly on the body, but instead forced her mental abilities to retreat into her mind.
She had read the consciousness of politicians, Mutants, and alien captives before, but she had never encountered such a massive mental entity.
In the clouds, a second eyeball opened.
Followed by the third and fourth.
Six giant eyeballs were arranged above Earth, each composed of complex crimson energy patterns.
They had no emotions, nor the fluctuations common to life, only executing some ancient program.
The grandiose will crossed language and air, entering the consciousness of all life across the globe.
"Abnormal individual, Lin Nuo."
As the three words fell, countless ordinary people fell to their knees.
Wine glasses, streetlights, and car alarms resonated with this will, and the entire Planet emitted a low hum.
"You have disrupted the underlying order of the Universe, seized the six primordial authorities, and the Earth hatching process has been interfered with. Surrender the authorities and accept judgment."
Emma steadied herself against the terrace stone pillar, sweat beading on her temples.
She finally understood that the other party was not asking.
This will regarded Earth as a cultivation device, and human civilization and the Star Umbrella Group were merely impurities on the surface of the device.
Lin Nuo raised his hand to adjust his cufflinks.
He had long sensed abnormal life fluctuations deep within the Earth's core, but he had previously been busy dealing with Thanos and hadn't found the time to tear open Earthto take a look.
Now, the so-called owner had taken the initiative to come knocking.
The encrypted communicator in the study lit up on its own.
Ancient One's projection emerged from the golden magic array.
The lights of Kamar-Taj behind her were completely extinguished, dozens of mages lay fallen in the square, and their magical artifacts had also lost their response.
"Lin Nuo, do not make a move. That is Arishem the Judgeof the Celestials, who has judged the survival of countless civilizations. What is before you is merely a will projected across galaxies, and his true body is far larger than a Planet."
Ancient One spoke rapidly, her usual calmness completely gone.
She had used the Time Stone to observe millions of future branches.
As long as Arishem the Judge completed the judgment, the possible outcomes where Earth civilization survived were pitifully few.
Lin Nuo turned to look at her.
"You know about the Earth hatching process."
Ancient One was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding.
"God Tiamut is sleeping inside Earth."
After the human population reaches a critical value, collective life energy will awaken him.
The birth process of the new God will destroy Earth, and this plan began long before civilization ever appeared."
Emma's palm pressed against the edge of the tablet.
She had always thought that Star Umbrella was the greatest raider of this Planet.
Until today, she discovered that Earth itself had long been treated as an egg waiting to hatch.
"You have guarded Earth for hundreds of years, yet you let this thing hide inside the Earth's core?"
Lin Nuo took off his glasses and wiped away the red light specks stained on the lenses.
Ancient One avoided his gaze.
"I cannot see any path capable of preventing the birth of a God."
The Sorcerer Supreme's duty is to fend off dimensional invasions, while the Celestials are a part of this Universe's order.
Rashly alarming them will only bring the reckoning forward."
"So you chose to keep secrets for them, letting billions of people live on the surface of the incubator."
Lin Nuo put his glasses back on, his tone so calm that it made Ancient One even more uneasy. "Ancient One, you always like to package incompetence as restraint."
When the Vishanti pressed down upon your head, you talked about rules; when the Celestials treat Earth as a culture dish, you start talking about duty."
"There is no point in arguing about these things now."
Ancient One raised her voice as the magic array behind her disintegrated in large areas. "Hand over the authority of the six Infinity Stones, and I will try to communicate with Arishem the Judge."
As long as the Earth hatching program resumes, he may not wipe out human civilization prematurely."
Above the terrace, the six giant eyes turned simultaneously.
The crimson energy turned into thousands of vertical beams of light, falling across all parts of the World.
The beams of light did not destroy buildings, but instead forced all nuclear weapons, satellite weapons, and supernatural energy sources into a silent state.
Wanda tried to initiate Chaos Magic, but the red light between her fingers had barely condensed before being forced back into her body by the high-altitude will.
Jean hurried over from the other side of the manor.
Phoenix energy formed incomplete wings behind her. Enduring Arishem the Judge's mental pressure, she arrived at the terrace.
"It is placing restrictions on all life." Jean looked toward the sky. "Phoenix can burn away a portion of it, but that would expose Earth's coordinates and attract more of its kind."
Hearing these words, Ancient One's last hope was crushed as well.
Even Phoenix chose restraint. For Lin Nuo to fight the Celestials alone would only drag the entire solar system into the battlefield.
"Listen to me just this once." Ancient One braced her hands against the edge of the magic array. "Your power has only just been completed; there is no need to go to war with the entire Celestials race yet. Temporarily hand the authority over to me, and it can at least buy negotiation time for Earth."
Lin Nuo did not respond to her.
He walked to the center of the terrace, and deep blue electric arcs lit up beneath his feet.
The flow of time around them began to slow down, and only Jean was still able to capture his movements through her Phoenix perception.
Emma guessed his decision.
"Boss, is the Group entering the highest state of wartime readiness? If a clash occurs in outer space, ground-based industries might be affected."
"Initiate the global Underground City plan, and transfer all critical production lines into the Vibranium defense layer. All media must continue broadcasting; don't cover up for those things in the sky."
Lin Nuo raised his right hand, and the laws of the Space Stone constructed coordinates within his palm.
"In addition, register Arishem the Judge's image as a trademark for Star Umbrella's biomaterial project. Once I dismantle its shell, it'll save anyone from fighting over the patent."
Emma was stunned for a second, then lowered her head to execute the order.
Ancient One looked at the expanding spatial passage beneath Lin Nuo's feet, her expression growing even uglier.
"You don't understand Arishem the Judge's authority at all. He can modify gravitational constants on a stellar-system scale and erase the evolutionary path of an entire race. If you step outside of Earth's barrier, you will enter his judgment domain directly!"
Lin Nuo raised his hand to cut off her magic array projection.
A deep blue light trail pierced through the sky above the manor.
The next moment, he had already left the terrace, crossed the atmosphere and the lunar orbit, and stopped in Earth's outer space.
The crimson Nebula ahead parted to both sides.
A massive entity clad in dark red armor manifested from the depths of the Universe.
Earth occupied only a tiny field of view before it, with six giant eyes embedded inside its helmet, every flicker and fade capable of triggering tidal shifts.
Arishem the Judge lowered his head.
"Abnormal individual refuses to execute the ruling. Purge program initiated."
Chapter 298: Laws Fail, You Can't Control the Dual Realities
Seven rings of laws pressed toward Earth from the edge of the Solar System.
The first ring altered the gravity parameters, shifting the Moon's orbit by hundreds of kilometers.
The second ring froze the spatial nodes, forcibly closing the return channel behind Lin Nuo.
The remaining five rings locked onto reality, time, mind, soul, and energy respectively.
Arishem the Judge did not choose a conventional attack.
He was stripping Lin Nuo of the qualifications to control the six authorities.
Countless crimson runes emerged from the vacuum, landing on the surface of Lin Nuo's suit, skin, and blood vessels.
Each rune corresponded to an underlying rule of the Universe, which any life born in this Universe had to obey.
The white light in Lin Nuo's palm extinguished.
Inside the ground command center, Emma saw this scene, and her breathing skipped half a beat.
Ancient One reconstructed the communication magic array, and the image was transferred to the main screen of Star Umbrella.
She looked at Lin Nuo, who was sealed by the sevenfold laws, her palm pressing against the remaining shell of the eye of agamotto.
"Arishem the Judge is revoking his permission to use the Infinite Authorities. The six Infinity Stones originated from the beginning of the Universe's birth, and the Celestialsparticipated in the shaping of early rules. They possess higher-level administrative permissions."
What Ancient One did not say out loud was that Lin Nuo's body would also be recycled together.
Once the judgment runes entered the conscious layer, all records of his existence might be deleted by the rules of the Universe.
Jean stood in the center of the main control room, her red hair fluttering without wind.
Phoenix Fire spread outward along her arms, and the metal walls of the main control room began to melt.
She could not sense Lin Nuo's life fluctuations, only seeing the increasingly dense rings of laws around Arishem the Judge.
"Open the channel."
Jean turned to look at Cisco, her tone suppressing dangerous restlessness, "I don't care if that machine can withstand it. Give me a coordinate, and I will burn through the remaining distance."
Cisco's hands moved rapidly across the keyboard, but he could never break through the spatial blockade of the Celestials.
"All outer nodes are locked. Unless someone establishes a channel from another set of Universe rules, we can't even send out a signal."
As soon as he finished speaking, a connection request from Earth-1 appeared on the right side of the main screen.
Diana's figure appeared on the screen.
She stood in front of the temple of Paradise Island, the Lasso of Truth wrapped around her arms, backed by fully armed Amazons.
"I felt that his summons was blocked. Tell me the enemy's location, and the Olympian divine power can provide coordinates for the channel."
The powers of the two Universes intersected across the screen.
Phoenix Fire and the divine light of Olympus rushed into the cross-border terminal of Star Umbrella simultaneously, and the unclosed law channel in the study lit up again.
Cisco looked at the soaring data, his fingers freezing on the keyboard.
On one side was the Phoenix capable of incinerating galaxies, and on the other were demigods from a different Universe.
They did not ask about their chances of winning, only waiting for Lin Nuo's command.
In outer space, the judgment runes of Arishem the Judgehad covered Lin Nuo's entire body.
"Target authority failure detected."
The grand will spanned across the galaxy, declaring the result to all observers.
"The anomalous life is about to return to the state of basic particles. The Earth incubation program will restart after the cleanup is complete, and human civilization will be preserved until Tiamut wakes up."
The will of the Celestials resounded across Earth once more.
A large number of politicians knelt in underground bunkers, starting to pray to this existence they had never understood.
Some even ordered the Military to close the ground receiving station of Star Umbrella, attempting to prove their loyalty to Arishem the Judge in this way.
Emma received diplomatic documents sent from various countries, her red lips pressed into a straight line.
Ten minutes ago, those people were still asking Star Umbrella to provide shelter.
Now, seeing Lin Nuo sealed by the laws, they were already preparing to carve up the group's assets.
"Record the list, and freeze their accounts in the global financial system."
Lin Nuo's voice suddenly came out from the main control room speaker.
Emma raised her head.
In the image, the crimson runes covering Lin Nuo's body stopped seeping.
Deep blue electric arcs spread outward from his chest, stripping away those runes one by one.
The six giant eyes of Arishem the Judge appeared to rotate at different frequencies for the first time.
"The target is not bound by the origin laws of this Universe."
His judgment program could not understand this result.
Lin Nuo's body was indeed standing in the Marvel Universe, but his body was also connected to Earth-1.
The perfect Speed Force had been reshaped by the rules of another Universe, and the Olympian bloodline was not within the creation lineage of the Celestials.
Arishem the Judge could revoke the permission of this Universe, but he couldn't control another reality.
Lin Nuo raised his hand to pluck off the last crimson rune on his shoulder, placing it between his fingers and crushing it.
"The judgment program is well written, but unfortunately, the scope of authority is too small."
With the help of spatial resonance, his voice spread throughout the Solar System, and every communication device on Earth received the exact same content.
"You participated in making rules in the early days of the Universe's birth, and thus you thought all life should apply to you for a survival permit. Arishem the Judge, you have stayed in your own farm for too long, and you can no longer tell the difference between assets and the Master."
Arishem the Judge raised his arm.
That giant palm covered in dark red armor blocked the starlight, and a high-density energy core condensed in his palm.
Several surrounding uninhabited planets were pulled, and their surface rock layers detached from the celestial bodies, converging into the core.
"Source of anomaly confirmed, involving external Universepollution. Judgment level upgraded, the dual reality where the target is located will accept joint cleanup."
Hearing "dual reality," Lin Nuo did not show any anger on his face.
He raised his right hand.
The Speed Force formed a skeleton along his arm, the reality power filled the blade body, and the six infinite laws compressed into a sharp edge.
Spatial coordinates locked onto Arishem the Judge from both sides, while the Phoenix and Olympian divine power passed through the cross-border channel and stopped behind him, waiting to be dispatched.
A blade of light spanning thousands of kilometers took shape.
Lin Nuo pushed his gold-rimmed glasses and looked at the Celestial judge whose size far exceeded Earth.
"Old thing, you hide behind the scenes farming your Eternal, and I have no interest in managing it for you. But if you dare to treat Earth as an incubator, it's equivalent to messing with my real estate."
He grasped the blade of light, and the trajectories of the surrounding celestial bodies came to a standstill.
"Judge me? Today I'll tear apart this suit of iron armor of yours!"
Chapter 299: Slashing God with a Blade, Forcibly Dismantling Armor as Materials
Lin Nuo pressed his hands downward, and the law light blade traversing the Universe slashed down accordingly.
The high-density energy core in Arishem the Judge's palm stopped absorbing planetary matter.
Patches of patterns lit up on the surface of the dark red armor, and a defensive barrier covering the Solar Systemblocked the front of the light blade.
Before the two forces truly made contact, the nearby Nebula was sliced open by the shockwave.
The shattered meteorites lost their original trajectories and flew toward the edge of the Solar System.
Arishem the Judge's six giant eyes locked onto Lin Nuo.
"The external law structure is loose, unable to break through the God defense system. Abnormal individual, your resistance will only raise the cleanup priority of the dual reality."
The light blade pressed against the defensive barrier and did not move forward.
On Earth, all live broadcast screens were swallowed by the bright light.
Seeing Lin Nuo hindered, the politicians inside the bunkers of various countries felt joy emerge on their originally pale faces.
"The rule of Star Umbrella has ended. Prepare to take over their Underground City and production Base, as long as we show obedience to the Celestials, human civilization can continue to exist."
As soon as this command was issued, it was intercepted by Emma.
She sat in the Star Umbrella main control room, her fingers sweeping across the console.
Those Military terminals attempting to seize the Underground City were forcibly disconnected from the defense system by her.
"Open the broadcast permissions to all civilian devices."
Emma looked toward the main screen, "Since the Masterwants to dismantle the God armor, we cannot lack an audience. As for that group of politicians preparing to change Masters, let them stand on the ground and see clearly before making a choice."
Ancient One did not stop her.
The Sorcerer Supreme stared at that stagnant light blade, and the unease in the bottom of her heart grew even heavier.
Arishem the Judge's defensive barrier was connected to the Universe rules; the stronger the brute force, the more severe the countermeasure suffered.
"Lin Nuo, stop increasing the pressure."
Ancient One sent her voice into outer space, "That layer of barrier is reading your law frequency. Once it finishes analysis, even your Speed Force will be included in the scope of judgment."
Lin Nuo's gold-rimmed glasses reflected the dark red light.
"Reading my frequency?"
He released one hand, his fingertips gently tapping across the side of the light blade.
"You antiques should learn what intellectual property protection is. Without authorization, you dare to scan Star Umbrella's technology; can you afford the copyright infringement compensation?"
Deep blue electric arcs exploded along the light blade.
Lin Nuo's body faded in place.
The next moment, tens of thousands of identical figures appeared within the Solar System, each one existing in a different time slice.
Arishem the Judge's defensive barrier began to contract.
The attack frequency it analyzed was only one, but with the help of the Speed Force, Lin Nuo dispersed the same strike into countless time nodes.
Every time the defense program intercepted one, a new landing point would appear in the future.
"Time layer overlap detected, initiating causal closure."
One of the giant eyes inside Arishem the Judge's helmet extinguished.
The time of the entire battlefield was forcibly compressed, and the residual shadows all over the sky shattered one after another.
The ground live broadcast lost its image once again.
The crowd, having just ignited hope, fell into panic.
Some believed Lin Nuo had been erased, and the militaries of various countries also closed in on the Star UmbrellaUnderground City again.
Yet Jean raised her head, looking toward the main screen that had turned into snow static.
"He is still here."
Jean pressed her chest, the Phoenix Fire dancing in the depths of her pupils, "What Arishem the Judge sealed is the surface layer of time. Lin Nuo hid the real attack inside its defense program."
In outer space, the stagnant light blade suddenly decomposed.
The time law first staggered the rhythm of the barrier's operation.
The authority of mind and soul followed closely behind, causing a brief delay in Arishem the Judge's collective consciousness.
The authority of reality filled the vacancy caused by the delay.
The law of strength was compressed to the blade's edge, and the spatial coordinates pinned down the inner and outer boundaries of the defensive barrier.
The six authorities did not continue to collide head-on.
Like six keys, they rewrote the defensive barrier's definition of an enemy from different levels.
Arishem the Judge's judgment program experienced a pause.
"Target authority unrecognized, defense object error occurred."
Lin Nuo appeared from above the light blade, holding the re-condensed hilt with one hand.
"Finally noticed? What you blocked has never been me, but simply the enemy you wrote for the defensive barrier yourself."
He stepped forward.
The sharp blade traversing thousands of kilometers cut into the dark red barrier, and large swaths of Nebula split to both sides along the cut.
The space solidified by the God authority also showed an unclosable crack.
Arishem the Judge raised its giant palm, attempting to grab the light blade.
Yet the Speed Force took away the time where the sharp blade was located in advance.
When the giant palm fell, that slash had already fallen onto the chest of the dark red armor.
A low tearing sound spread throughout the Solar System.
The armor on Arishem the Judge's chest caved inward.
The crack extended from the chest to the shoulder, and crimson energy gushed out from within, turning into burning droplets all over the sky.
The live broadcast on Earth recovered.
Countless people looked up at the sky, seeing those red droplets drifting down from the God.
Humanity had worshipped countless Gods, but it was the first time they witnessed the high and mighty creator get injured with their own eyes.
Ancient One tightly gripped the shell of the eye of agamotto.
She knew what this victory meant.
As the judge of the Celestials, Arishem the Judge had judged countless civilizations, and almost no life in the Universe dared to actively damage its physical body.
Yet Lin Nuo did not stop.
Treading on the orbit formed by the Speed Force, he rushed in front of Arishem the Judge.
The light blade continued to cut inward along the armor's crack, slashing off a dark red shell comparable to a continent.
"The trademark has been registered."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to catch that shell, sending it into the storage area constructed by the Space Stone, "From now on, your suit of materials belongs to Star Umbrella."
Arishem the Judge retreated for the first time.
Its movement drove changes in the Solar System's gravity, causing the orbital trajectories of several planets to shift simultaneously.
The crimson energy gushing from its chest also condensed into a sea of blood in the void.
Watching the tiny fragments falling toward Earth, Emmaimmediately activated the outer interception array.
"All recovery ships avoid the crimson area. Without the Master's permission, no one is allowed to touch the Godblood. The research department is only responsible for containment, don't try to be clever."
As soon as her command spread, ancient runes floated out from the sea of blood.
Those runes were far more complex than the patterns on Arishem the Judge's armor.
They were not suppressed by the infinite laws, but instead spread in reverse along the severed light blade.
The moment Jean saw the runes, the Phoenix consciousness emitted a low hum.
"Lin Nuo, cut off the law blade."
Jean's voice passed through the cross-border channel, "Those things come from before the birth of the Celestials, and they are searching for your other half of reality."
Lin Nuo severed the contaminated sharp blade.
The incomplete light blade fell into the starry sky and was swallowed by the crimson sea of blood.
Yet an ancient rune had already reflected into his pupils, chasing toward the coordinates of Earth-1 along the Speed Force.
Arishem the Judge lowered its head, looking at the wound on its chest.
"Confirming that the abnormal individual possesses a cross-reality root, single-body judgment authority is insufficient. Applying to the Celestials council for joint adjudication."
The ancient runes lit up simultaneously with its voice.
The next moment, four crimson signals shot out from Arishem the Judge's chest, and four pairs of giant eyes subsequently opened in the depths of the Universe.
Chapter 300: Resetting the Dual Realms, Jean Transforms into the Phoenix to Burn the Rules
Those four pairs of giant eyes did not approach the Solar System.
Casting their gazes from distant galaxies, massive phantoms rose from the crimson signals.
Each of them was covered in armor of different forms, with halos representing the authority of God floating behind them.
The tear on Arishem the Judge's chest stopped expanding.
Ancient runes merged into the wound, sealing off Lin Nuo's remaining laws and powers layer by layer.
The severed armor did not regenerate, but its aura was heavier than before it was injured.
Five Gods simultaneously gazed at Earth.
Affected by gravitational pull, the Moon's originally stable orbit completely shifted.
The ocean bulged toward the direction where the Moon was located, and continuous tremors occurred at the edges of the continents.
Ancient One's magic circle was pressed close to the ground.
"This is not the true descent of God."
She explained to everyone in the master control room, "However, the overlap of the five judgment wills is enough to modify the rules of the Solar System. If they complete the adjudication, both Worlds will be dragged into it."
The phantom in the very center raised its arm.
"The anomalous individual, Lin Nuo, has been confirmed as a multiverse pollution source. His existence interferes with the evolutionary path of the single Universe and causes the outflow of creation authority."
Another God continued the judgment.
"The joint judgment is passed. Erase all traces of the target's existence, reset the two polluted Earths, and clear the memories of related life."
The will of God descended, and Earth's gravity began to spin out of control.
Vehicles on the streets of New York lifted off the ground.
Aircraft carriers on the Pacific Ocean were pushed into the sky by the waves, and buildings in several coastal cities tilted.
Beneath the Star Umbrella headquarters, the Underground City was fully activated.
Emma Frost took over the global defense network and opened all entrances that had not yet been sealed.
A large number of urban residents poured into the Vibranium isolation layer, while transport ships shuttled back and forth to the ground against the chaotic gravity.
"Prioritize the transfer of medical institutions and energy maintenance personnel."
Emma Frost stared at the constantly jumping regional map, "If the Military wants to seize the passageway, disarm first. Star Umbrella's protection does not accept temporary allegiance, nor does it accept taking over amidst the chaos."
Several countries attempted to forcibly control the entrance.
Wanda raised both hands, and Chaos Magic crossed the continent.
The armored forces approaching the Underground Citywere lifted by red energy and sent back to their original garrison along with their weapons.
"I am stabilizing the crust; I don't have time to entertain their probing."
Wanda turned to Emma Frost, "If anyone points their guns at civilians again, I will make them lose the ability to fire forever."
Emma Frost did not dissuade her.
She distributed the energy of the Vibranium defense layer to the coastal areas, and then connected with the evacuees through psychic abilities.
The spreading panic was forcibly suppressed, and the chaotic evacuation gradually restored order.
Jean stood before the cross-realm terminal, and the Phoenix Fire covered the global atmosphere.
The air dragged toward the Universe by gravity was pressed back onto the surface.
The bulging ocean was also supported by an invisible force, preventing it from directly crashing into the coastal cities.
However, Cisco discovered that the Phoenix readings were still rising.
"Jean, the safety limits are nearing their upper bound. If you continue to expand the Phoenix domain, Star Umbrella's cross-realm terminal will be burned down, and we will also lose Lin Nuo's location."
Jean did not withdraw the flames.
"Then reinforce the terminal. Lin Nuo is outside blocking the five Gods; I will not let him bear the judgment alone just because of a machine's upper limit."
Earth-1 also experienced anomalies.
Inside the Gotham clock tower, all clocks began to turn backward.
Selina just severed a runaway server, and the Wayne Enterprises data on the screen reverted to a state before it was acquired.
She pressed the terminal on the side of her ear.
"Lin Nuo, Gotham's history is running backward. Star Umbrella's holding traces are being deleted section by section. If this continues, even my memory of you will be affected."
Inside the Paradise Island temple, Diana wrapped the Lasso of Truth around the cross-realm coordinates.
The divine power of Olympus resisted the time rewind, but modern equipment outside the temple was still disappearing one after another.
Several transport ships degenerated into unassembled parts scattered across the port.
"Mother has already led the clan into the Old God barrier."
Diana gripped the lasso tightly, "I can defend Paradise Island, but I cannot cover the outside World. Lin Nuo, do you need me to come over?"
In outer space, Lin Nuo heard the news coming from both sides.
The joint stance of the five Gods had sealed off all retreats.
Whenever he used the Speed Force to approach Arishem the Judge, the remaining four projections would modify the space ahead and send him back to the origin.
"The cleanup program is overwriting the dual reality."
The ancient runes on Arishem the Judge's chest spread, forming a time loop connecting the two Earths.
"The existence records of the anomalous individual will be deleted with priority. Lives deeply associated with the target will be restored to before the pollution occurred."
Lin Nuo looked up at the five Gods.
"Five against one, is that all the dignity your Celestialsamount to?"
He waved his remaining light blade, slashing toward the time loop connecting Earth-1.
Four Gods struck simultaneously, locking the light blade tightly within the spatial interlayer.
"Quantity belongs to a part of the order of creation."
A God looked down at Lin Nuo, "You acquired authority through plunder, yet you attempt to challenge the Universecouncil with individual will. This behavior has no survival value."
The Speed Force arcs on Lin Nuo's wrists began to dim.
It was not that his origin was exhausted; the five Gods were deleting the futures he could reach.
Every breakthrough route that just appeared would be sealed in advance by the joint judgment.
Ancient One saw the River of Time gradually turning blank, leaving no trace of luck in her heart.
"They are resetting possibilities."
She looked at Jean, "Lin Nuo can still maintain his consciousness, but the future related to him is disappearing. Once the time loop closes, no one will remember that he ever existed."
Jean's Phoenix flames suddenly surged.
The safety loops set by Cisco locked down her energy one after another.
Those devices were originally meant to prevent the Phoenix from losing control, but now they had become a cage blocking her from leaving Earth.
"Lift the restrictions."
Jean looked back at Cisco, "Wanda and Emma Frost are on the surface, and the cross-realm coordinates are maintained by Diana. I am going to his side."
Cisco stood in front of the control console.
"Once you rush out of the atmosphere, the Phoenix will tear apart the Celestials' joint stance. But that backlash will also fall upon Earth, and no one dares guarantee that the defense layer can hold."
On the main screen, Lin Nuo was simultaneously entangled by five judgment chains.
His body was not injured, but the space around him was disappearing layer by layer.
Even the Star Umbrella logo was becoming blurred on some devices.
Jean looked at that figure, her pupils completely turning golden-red.
"I have already lost control and lost my own name. It was he who brought me out of Charles's shackles and gave the Phoenix coordinates to return to."
Jean's Phoenix flames surged along Jean's arm into the control console.
All safety programs set by Cisco melted down, and the passage connecting to outer space was forcibly opened.
"This time, whoever dares to delete him, I will burn the rules they wrote."
The next moment, Jean smashed the safety lock and rushed into the starry sky with the Phoenix Fire that the entire Earth could see.
Chapter 301: Phoenix Burns the Sky, Reverse Invasion of the Celestials
The Phoenix Fire rushing out of Earth crashed into the joint force field, and outer space instantly cracked open a golden-red wound.
Jean did not slow down.
The procedural rings sealing the atmosphere of celestial bodies were shattered head-on by her.
The judgment runes along the way lost their original structure the moment they touched the flame, turning into burning golden fragments.
Ancient One stared at the main screen, her expression changing slightly.
"Phoenix is burning away the restrictions written into the Solar System by the Celestials. She is treating her own existence as fuel, and every time she burns away a rule, she bears the corresponding backlash."
Cisco saw the terminal temperature break through the safety threshold and raised his hand to cut off the backup energy.
Yet the cross-border device was still operating under the will of Phoenix, and no program could stop it.
"She isn't borrowing the machine at all."
Cisco looked at the automatically scrolling data, "The machine is just an observation window she left for us; she has already taken over the channel."
The Phoenix Fire crossed the lunar orbit and lunged toward the judgment chains entangling Lin Nuo.
Five Gods lowered their gazes simultaneously.
The chains tightened accordingly, and the remaining space around Lin Nuo was compressed into a narrow cage.
Jean broke into it, wrapped her arms around Lin Nuo, and their golden-red wings completely covered the two of them.
Lin Nuo lowered his head to look at her.
The surface of Jean's skin was covered with scorched golden lines, and Phoenix was using her body to bear power that exceeded her limits.
Yet she did not let go, instead pushing the flames toward the surroundings.
"I said before, whoever dares to delete you, I will burn down the rules they wrote."
Jean raised her face, her pupils filled with nothing but tyrannical golden-red, "This time, don't even think about sending me back."
A phoenix cry pierced through the dual realities.
The will of Phoenix declared through Jean's voice, "This human is the host partner I have approved; he belongs to me, and no one is allowed to touch him."
The ground control room fell into a brief silence.
Emma looked at Jean hugging Lin Nuo, complex emotions flashing deep within her eyes.
Yet she quickly suppressed that hint of sourness and synchronized the breach opened by Phoenix to the Star Umbrella fleet.
The runes on Arishem the Judge's chest rearranged themselves.
"The Phoenix entity does not possess civilization adjudication rights. Host emotions have caused power deflection, and this life form should accept isolation."
The wings behind Jean abruptly spread open.
"You create life solely to decide when it disappears. And now you still want to teach me how to use power?"
The Phoenix Fire transformed into a huge bird, its sharp claws grabbing the shoulder armor of a God projection.
The ancient texts on the surface of the armor melted one after another, revealing a body composed of stellar matter inside.
That projection raised its hand and pressed toward Jean.
It did not release energy, only modifying the life parameters around the Phoenix Fire.
The golden-red flame rapidly dimmed, and all possibilities of continuing to burn were locked into the sole result of extinction.
Jean's body sank backward.
The judgment chains that had just gained freedom took advantage of the momentum to wrap around her wrists, dragging Phoenix and Lin Nuo together toward the center of the joint force field.
Ancient One closed her eyes.
"The Celestials anticipated that Phoenix would intervene. They are transforming Jean into a new judgment coordinate; as long as Phoenix continues to protect Lin Nuo, the chains can enter the consciousness core along the connection between the two."
Emma immediately connected to Lin Nuo's private channel.
"Boss, Jean has become their medium. If you cut off your mental connection with her, she might still be able to retreat to Earth."
Hearing these words, Jean's flames suddenly fluctuated violently.
She grabbed Lin Nuo's collar tightly, her tone carrying unsuppressible anger.
"If you dare to agree, I will first burn down that plan of yours that always likes to shoulder everything alone. Others have already decided my life once; this time, it is not your turn to choose for me."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to press the back of her neck, sending a wisp of Mind Stone rules into her consciousness.
The memories about to be erased by the Celestialsstabilized once more.
Jean saw the underground palace in Cairo, saw the mental shackles left behind by Charles, and saw Lin Nuo standing in the Phoenix Fire reaching out to her.
"I never prepared to let you go."
Lin Nuo looked at the approaching judgment chains, "They want to use you to enter my consciousness, then let them in."
Jean understood his meaning.
She did not ask about the plan, only contracting the Phoenix Fire around the two of them.
The power originally resisting the chains suddenly weakened, and the runes of the Celestials seized the opportunity to pass through the flames.
Arishem the Judge's six giant eyes locked onto Lin Nuo.
"Defense of abnormal individual failed, beginning to recover external authority."
The first chain pierced into Lin Nuo's chest, then penetrated the sea of consciousness.
The remaining four Gods simultaneously activated the judgment, attempting to snatch away the six primordial rules along this path.
Jean's expression changed abruptly.
She thought Lin Nuo would use this to attack the chains, only to find that he did not break free.
Instead, the light of the Infinity Stones actively extinguished, allowing the judgment program to continue deepening.
"Lin Nuo, they have already touched the core of your authority."
Jean lowered her voice, "If you are still waiting for the right moment, it is already deep enough now."
"Still a little bit lacking."
Lin Nuo stared at the runes on Arishem the Judge's chest.
The judgment chains connected the consciousness of both sides and also exposed the true coordinates inside the divine judge.
That place was hidden behind armor and stellar matter, which normal attacks simply could not touch.
Arishem the Judge sensed spatial fluctuations, and the judgment program immediately contracted.
"Reverse invasion detected, cutting off connection."
Lin Nuo closed his five fingers.
A tiny blue spot of light had already crossed the chains and plunged into Arishem the Judge's body.
The Space Stone rules bypassed all defenses and stopped beside its origin coordinates.
The chains snapped immediately.
A dark blue crack flashed across Arishem the Judge's chest, and the four God projections turned toward it simultaneously.
That space rule did not erupt, but it had already become an unremovable foreign object.
Jean saw the smile in Lin Nuo's eyes and finally understood why he actively endured the judgment.
"You deliberately let me rush out, also to force them to open the consciousness channel?"
"You came even fiercer than planned."
Lin Nuo wiped away the blood from the corner of her lips for her, "However, the effect is not bad; at least now, they can't close the door."
Jean pressed her forehead against his shoulder, and the Phoenix Fire once again swept over the chains.
"You dare to evaluate the effect after using me up; once the fight is over, I will settle things with you alone."
Arishem the Judge raised his giant palm, and the joint force field began to collapse inward.
It could no longer remove the space rules, and could only first press Lin Nuo and Jean together into a closed dimension.
"External pollution escalated. Phoenix entity listed in the cleaning sequence, dual reality reset execution continues."
The historical backtracking of Earth-1 suddenly accelerated.
Inside the temple of Paradise Island, modern devices disappeared one after another.
Diana knelt before the ancient altar, wrapping the Lasso of Truth around her arm, divine blood flowing along her palm into the patterns on the ground.
Hippolyta stood at the entrance of the temple, watching her daughter use her own divinity to ring the dormant door of the old Gods.
"Diana, Olympus has not responded to Paradise Island for many years. If you continue to summon forcefully, you might draw the gaze of the Celestials to this World."
Diana clenched the lasso tightly, letting the backtracking rules strip away the modern traces on the surface of her bracers.
"He is enduring judgment for everyone in another World. I cannot stand here and calculate risks; if Olympus still remembers the oath of the Amazons, it should respond to my request."
A low rumble of thunder came from deep within the altar.
The sky was split open by a streak of golden lightning, and the Lasso of Truth tightened accordingly.
Diana raised her head and saw a pair of ancient eyes slowly opening deep within the divine realm.
And in the channel where the two Universes were about to close, the Lasso of Truth in Diana's hand finally entangled a bolt of lightning from Olympus.
Chapter 302: Phoenix's Jealousy, Infinite Laws Shatter Judgment
That bolt of thunder followed the lasso of truth down into the temple, causing the entire Paradise Island to shake.
The ancient reliefs on the altar lit up one by one.
The Olympian divine patterns obscured by the passage of time reappeared, and a golden pillar of light pierced through the dome, connecting with the cross-realm coordinates left behind by the Star Umbrella.
Diana did not get up.
Divine power continuously poured into her body, and her demigod bloodline began to respond to the thunder.
The wounds on her arms healed rapidly, yet the lasso of truth tightened further.
A colossal will looked down at Paradise Island from the Divine Realm.
"Daughter of the Amazons, you forced open a sealed door with divine blood, solely for a man from another realm?"
Hippolyta gripped the hilt of her sword.
She recognized the owner of that voice.
The Gods had remained silent for years, yet Zeus's will descended just as his daughter called out to another man, making it impossible for her to determine whether this was a blessing or a curse.
Diana looked up at the Divine Realm, her voice lacking the slightest hesitation.
"Lin Nuo possesses a demigod bloodline recognized by Olympus and has saved Paradise Island. He is currently being besieged by creators from another realm, and I ask the Gods to fulfill their protection of their bloodline descendants."
Zeus did not respond immediately.
A crimson gaze suddenly crossed the cross-realm passage and cast itself upon the Olympian divine gate.
The judgment runes of the Celestials spread along the thunder, attempting to read the rules of the Divine Realm.
Arishem the Judge's will followed.
"External divine civilization detected. The target has provided support to an anomalous individual, constituting cross-reality interference."
A huge crimson ring emerged above Paradise Island.
The Amazon warriors raised their shields one after another.
Before the ring could fall, the seawater around the island had already broken away from the seabed, and the stone pillars of the temple began to lose weight.
Hippolyta drew her sword and walked down the steps.
"Everyone enter the divine formation. Guard the altar; no rune must touch Diana."
The Amazon warriors quickly formed a circular defensive line.
They snapped their shields into the grooves in the ground, and the long-slumbering barrier of the old Gods rose from the coast, blocking the falling judgment runes.
The crimson ring continued to press downward.
Cracks appeared on the surface of the barrier, and several older warriors were knocked over by the impact of the rules.
The divinity of Paradise Island originated from Olympusand likewise could not directly confront the joint judgment of another Universe.
Arishem the Judge pressed his will toward the altar.
"The demigod bloodline belongs to low-tier civilization authorization and lacks the qualification to challenge the Celestials' ruling. Close the portal immediately, and the relevant World can be spared from joint cleansing."
Diana wrapped the lasso of truth around the altar and tightened it once more.
"You have no qualification to accept terms on behalf of my World. If you could truly rule over this place at will, you wouldn't need to force me to close the door myself."
Zeus's laughter came from the depths of the Divine Realm.
Thunder surged backward along the lasso, completely shattering the crimson runes that had invaded the divine gate.
The entrance to Olympus expanded accordingly, and the shadows cast by the Gods covered Paradise Island.
"Gods?"
Zeus's will carried undisguised arrogance. "I have killed more Titans than galaxies you have ever seen."
Arishem the Judge's crimson gaze fluctuated.
It could not find the creation records corresponding to Zeusin this Universe's data.
The opponent's divine authority system operated on faith, bloodline, and divine domains, and had not entered the life sequence formulated by the Celestials.
"Unknown divine entity, submit civilization coordinates and origin authority."
"You broke into my divine domain, yet you want me to submit authority to you?"
A thunder spear fell from the divine gate, piercing through the judgment ring above Paradise Island.
The gaze cast by Arishem the Judge was forcibly dispersed, and the cross-realm passage regained stability.
Hippolyta looked at the re-illuminated sky and finally lowered her guard against the divine gate.
She walked over to Diana and inserted the Amazon royal sword into the altar.
The royal divinity merged into the passage, and the ground reliefs extended accordingly across the entire training ground.
"Paradise Island never abandons allies who fight for us."
Hippolyta looked at the warriors waiting outside. "Today, the Amazons fight for the person Diana has chosen."
The warriors struck their shields with their spears.
Divine patterns lit up along the weapons.
They could not physically cross dual realities, yet they could send their own power and weapon projections into the path opened by Olympus.
Diana closed her eyes.
She did not pray for victory, only sending all her divine power into the coordinates where Lin Nuo was located.
The lasso of truth became a bridge connecting the two of them, allowing her to feel that he was still enduring the suppression of the joint stance.
"Lin Nuo, please hear my voice."
Diana pressed her palm against the altar. "Paradise Islandis ready, and Olympus has also responded to the summons. You no longer have to face them alone."
In outer space, golden thunder pierced out from behind the Phoenix Fire.
Lin Nuo raised his hand to catch the thunder.
The Olympian divine power flowed into his demigod bloodline, generating a violent collision with the laws of the Infinity Stones, causing golden cracks to emerge all along his arm.
Jean folded her phoenix wings, blocking the spreading impact for him.
"The woman on the other side is truly loyal to you. She has dragged her divine realm into this; how do you plan to repay her?"
Lin Nuo gripped the thunder, pressing it into the blade of light formed by the six laws.
"Send this group of old things away first. As for the rest, you can discuss it amongst yourselves."
Jean glanced at him.
The Phoenix was clearly unsatisfied with this answer, but the Celestials had already begun to reorganize their joint stance.
She could only continue injecting flames into the blade of light, letting vitality fill the gaps in the rules within it.
A second stream of divine power passed through the passage.
Athena's will did not manifest, only sending a divine shield covered in cracks.
The surface of the shield reflected the energy connection among the five Gods, with every judgment requiring unified calibration by Arishem the Judge.
Seeing this projection, the Ancient One quickly captured the flaw within it.
"The five Gods do not share the same consciousness. Arishem the Judge is the center of the joint stance; as long as its calibration with the rest of the projections is severed, the judgment rules will conflict with one another."
Lin Nuo looked toward Arishem the Judge's chest.
The Space Stone law previously sent into its body was still moving, leaving only the final layer of obstruction from the origin coordinates.
The Olympian thunder could precisely pierce through that defense line.
The Celestials likewise discovered the connection projected by Athena.
The four Gods immediately changed positions, protecting Arishem the Judge in the center.
The joint stance extended toward the Paradise Islandpassage, preparing to destroy the Olympian divine gate from the source.
Feeling the incoming will, Diana abruptly opened her eyes.
"Amazons, release arrows!"
On the training ground, all the warriors released their bowstrings simultaneously.
Arrows carrying the runes of the old Gods passed through the divine gate, turning into patches of golden light in outer space.
They could not harm the Gods, yet they pinned down the rule nodes within the joint stance, causing the extending judgment to pause for a moment.
Hephaestus's furnace fire followed closely behind.
The edges of the six-law blade of light were forged by the divine fire, and the cracks that had been continuously collapsing began to close.
The Phoenix Fire seized the opportunity to drill into the blade body, burning away the authority restrictions set by the Celestials.
Arishem the Judge raised both hands.
"External divine interference exceeds threshold, initiating permanent isolation between the dual realms. All passages connected to anomalous individuals will be removed from the reality structure."
The coordinates between the two Universes began to collapse.
Diana's figure became blurry on the other side of the passage.
Yet she wrapped the lasso of truth around her waist, using herself as an anchor point to fix the gate of the Divine Realm.
"I will not let go."
She knelt in the center of the altar's cracks, her divine blood seeping into every pattern. "As long as I still remember him, this path will not disappear."
Lin Nuo glanced at her through the lasso.
The speck of light from the Space Stone finally reached Arishem the Judge's origin.
The five Gods had not yet noticed that a secret door leading to unknown coordinates had appeared within their own joint stance.
The Phoenix Fire, Olympian divine power, and the six Infinity Laws completely fused together in Lin Nuo's hands.
Lin Nuo gripped the sharp blade spanning the starry sky and raised his arm toward the five Gods. "Now, it is time to send you back."
Chapter 303: Authority Shattered, Eyeing That Kryptonian
Lin Nuo gripped the blade of light and slashed toward the joint force field.
The energy veins reflected by Athena's S.H.I.E.L.D. were severed node by node by the blade.
The five Gods lost their unified calibration, and the originally overlapping adjudications began to repel each other.
One of the projections was still sealing the Speed Force, while another judged Lin Nuo to be an Olympus divine entity.
The two trial programs vied for control, causing the crimson rings covering the Solar System to tremble.
Dazzling blue light lit up in front of Arishem the Judge's chest.
The spatial coordinates that had long been sent into the origin finally unfolded.
This slash from Lin Nuo did not target the armor, but instead cut along the back door into their shared authority core.
"Joint adjudication has encountered a conflict."
Arishem the Judge's six giant eyes spun rapidly, his grand will carrying an obvious fluctuation for the first time.
"Shut down external coordinates and recall all projections. The anomalous individual must remain in the current reality and must not contact the Celestials mother star."
"You're closing the door only now; people have already sneaked into the server."
Lin Nuo flipped his wrist, and the blade continued to press down along the blue coordinates.
"You bunch of Universe administrators have security awareness inferior even to an intern of the Star Umbrella."
The four God projections raised their hands simultaneously.
Reality was folded into layers of closed structures, and the distance between Lin Nuo and Arishem the Judgecontinuously extended.
The blade appeared to have pressed against the armor, but the two sides were isolated into a spatial interlayer that could not communicate with each other.
In Earth's main control room, Cisco's newly recovered observation screen darkened once again.
He stared at the rapidly expanding spatial parameters, his voice tight.
"The Celestials changed every layer of distance into an independent Universe. If Boss takes another step forward, he will be sent into a new closed layer. That blade can't touch the target at all."
Ancient One raised her hand to deploy a magical circle, but did not rashly join the battlefield.
The situation she saw was even more dangerous.
The Celestials were utilizing Lin Nuo's attack to reversely locate Earth-1; as long as the blade of light completely sank into the spatial interlayer, the two Earths would become new adjudication anchor points.
"Lin Nuo, give up this strike."
Ancient One sent the warning into the cross-realm passage.
"The spatial coordinates have been taken over by them. If you continue to push forward, you will only open a door for the Celestials to another Earth."
Hearing these words, Diana tightened her grip on the lasso of truth.
Divine blood continued to flow along the altar patterns.
She could feel Lin Nuo's power being isolated layer by layer, yet she sensed not the slightest hint of retreat from the lasso.
"He has not lost the coordinates."
Diana looked toward the other end of the divine gate.
"The lasso of truth can still reach his will. As long as he still holds onto this path, I will not close the divine gate."
Hippolyta did not try to persuade her.
The Queen of the Amazons turned and swung her sword, ordering her clansmen to send more old God weapons into the altar.
Every weapon passing through the divine gate would leave a divine fissure in the Celestials' closed structure.
Jean, however, saw another anomaly.
Although the blade of light in Lin Nuo's hand stopped, the spatial coordinates hidden within Arishem the Judge's origin were still expanding.
The blue light had already touched the mother star teleportation network behind it.
She looked up at Lin Nuo, the Phoenix Fire in the depths of her eyes slightly subsiding.
"From the very beginning, you never planned to cross these spaces. You want Arishem the Judge to go back by himself."
"You finally understand."
Lin Nuo reached out to embrace Jean's waist, bringing her behind the blade of light.
"I have no interest in chasing them to the Celestials' lair. The shipping fee for home delivery should be borne by themselves."
Jean did not pull away, but instead pressed the Phoenix Fire into the blade of light.
The golden-red flames burned through every layer of space along the blade.
Those closed structures independently cut by the Celestials were all exposed beneath the Olympus thunder.
Zeus's will let out a cold snort.
The thunder pierced through the dual realms along Diana's lasso of truth, hitting the final line of defense outside Arishem the Judge's origin.
The divine fire left behind by Hephaestus supported the blade of light, preventing the six laws from collapsing prematurely during the collision.
Lin Nuo closed his five fingers.
"Spatial coordinate replacement, change the target to the Celestials mother star."
A deep blue passage split open behind Arishem the Judge.
That was not an ordinary portal.
The other end of the passage connected to the position before its descent, and also connected to the mother star network used by the Celestials to project their adjudicating will.
The four God projections sensed the anomaly and immediately cut off contact with Arishem the Judge.
Yet their action caused the joint force field to completely lose support.
The Phoenix Fire lunged into the chest of the first projection, burning its body made of stellar matter into golden dust.
Olympus thunder followed closely behind, shattering the authority halo of the second God.
The other two projections attempted to return to the depths of the Universe.
Lin Nuo swung the blade of light, and the six laws pursued in reverse along the signals left behind by them.
The authorities of soul and mind interfered with the projections' consciousness, while the law of power blew the massive phantoms apart from the inside.
The four God projections exploded one after another.
Crimson fragments filled outer space.
The reset program pressing down on the two Earths lost its source, the retrograde clock returned to normal, and the modern equipment that had disappeared on Paradise Island reappeared.
Half of Arishem the Judge's body had already been swallowed by the blue passage.
Its giant palm grasped the edge of space, attempting to strip the mother star coordinates from its own origin.
Crimson energy continuously surged from beneath the armor, and the newly stabilized Solar System shook once again.
"Anomalous individual, you will bear the consequences of polluting the Celestials mother star."
"Take yourself back first."
Lin Nuo stepped on the Speed Force and arrived in front of Arishem the Judge, stabbing the blade of light into the armor crack he had previously cut open.
"Next time you come over, remember to bring a few more layers of shell. The Star Umbrella's new material project is currently lacking inventory."
The law of space erupted fully.
Arishem the Judge's giant palm slipped from the edge of the passage.
Its massive body, along with the lingering adjudication domain, was forcibly dragged toward the Celestials mother star.
Just as its six giant eyes were about to disappear, the ancient runes on its chest suddenly detached from the armor.
The runes did not attack Earth, nor did they hinder the teleportation.
They burrowed into Lin Nuo's arm along the unwithdrawn blade of light, bypassing the Phoenix and divine power, and went straight to the core of the six authorities.
Jean sensed the danger, and the Phoenix Fire immediately enveloped Lin Nuo.
"Let go of the blade, those runes are using your power to hide themselves!"
Lin Nuo severed the blade of light.
Most of the runes plunged into the passage along with Arishem the Judge.
Yet the final one had already sunk into his sea of consciousness, leaving a crimson brand among the six Infinity Stones.
Arishem the Judge completely disappeared.
Before the deep blue passage closed, its voice came from the Celestials mother star.
"The God Mark is complete. Every time the marked person uses the primordial authority, it will accelerate the decay of their own laws."
The Solar System returned to its original trajectory.
Lin Nuo stopped in the void, a fishy sweetness suddenly welling up in his throat.
He turned his head and spat out a mouthful of golden blood.
The blood did not scatter, but instead turned into tiny runes in the vacuum.
Within Lin Nuo's sea of consciousness, cracks simultaneously appeared on the six Infinity Stones.
Jean grabbed his arm, the Phoenix Force forcibly probing toward the consciousness core.
"Don't stop me. That thing is devouring your authority, I can burn it out."
"If you start a fire now, the six stones will shatter first."
Lin Nuo gripped Jean's wrist, pressing the Phoenix Fire back into her body.
"Arishem the Judge leaving this thing behind is precisely to make me destroy the core myself. It doesn't have the qualification to make me cooperate."
A prompt sound that only Lin Nuo could hear subsequently sounded.
[Host core authority damage detected; must intercept a higher-tier female target to repair.]
Lin Nuo wiped the golden blood from his lips, not a shred of panic in the depths of his eyes.
"Want to ambush me? Perfect, I'm still missing a Kryptonian battery."
The Phoenix Fire carried the two of them back to Earth.
Diana confirmed through the lasso of truth that Lin Nuowas still conscious, and her tense palms finally relaxed.
Just as she wanted to ask about his injuries, a large number of overlapping images appeared in the cross-realm passage.
In one of the images, the Paradise Island temple had already turned into ruins.
In another image, Diana was still sealed behind an unopened stone door.
The magical circle of Kamar-Taj lit up simultaneously.
Ancient One stood before the constantly splitting long river of time, for the first time unable to determine which moment the Lin Nuo before her actually came from.
"Lin Nuo, you sent the God away, but time is beginning to take a bite out of the people around you."
Chapter 304: Close-up Husband Protection, Beautiful Eyes Full of Tenderness and Extremely Alluring
The Ancient One's warning had just fallen when multiple overlapping images appeared on the Earth behind Lin Nuo.
New York's city silhouette first retreated to many years ago, and Chitauri warships swept across the residual shadows of the sky.
The next moment, high-rise buildings reappeared, but pedestrians on the street brushed past people who had long since passed away.
Jean brought Lin Nuo through the passage opened by Kamar-Taj.
When the two landed in the square, the surrounding mages were stabilizing the time barrier.
A young apprentice had just finished arranging the runes when his body suddenly aged, and the sling ring in his hand became covered in rust.
The Ancient One raised her hand and pressed it against his forehead.
Time spells covered his whole body, and the apprentice regained his youth, but he looked around blankly.
"Sorcerer Supreme, why am I here?"
The mage responsible for teaching him turned pale.
That apprentice had lived in Kamar-Taj for many years.
However, the time disorder deleted the cause and effect of the two's acquaintance, leaving only their still-existing bodies.
The Ancient One sent the apprentice into the mirror dimension and then looked at Lin Nuo.
"This is just the beginning. The Celestial Mark has already polluted the rules of the Time Stone. Every time a fluctuation occurs, Earth will split into new pasts and futures."
She unfolded the Agamotto array.
Dense tributaries of time covered the temple, and each tributary led to a different ending.
Some Worlds remained at the Battle of New York, and some Worlds had already entered the ruins after Tiamut's awakening.
"Hand over the six stones."
The Ancient One stood in the center of the array, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"I will bring them into the purification domain of the Vishanti. As long as the connection between the Celestial Mark and you is severed, the timeline still has a chance to recover."
Lin Nuo walked past the flowing-back stone steps.
Shattered stones rose from the ground and embedded themselves back into the wall.
But after he passed by, the newly repaired wall quickly weathered away again.
"Last time you borrowed the hand of the Vishanti to seal me, and now you still want to keep the stones for me."
Lin Nuo pushed his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Ancient One, your credibility is not valuable to this extent. If you want me to hand over my authority, at least come up with a new excuse."
The Ancient One did not step back because of the taunt.
The magic array in her hand expanded, trapping Lin Nuoand Jean together in the center of the square.
The sanctuaries throughout Kamar-Taj also lit up in response, and dimensional barriers sealed off the spatial nodes for departure.
Phoenix wings emerged behind Jean.
"If you want to take advantage of his injury to seize the stones, I will burn down this array first. Even if the Vishantidescends personally, it won't change the result."
"Jean, she doesn't have the guts to snatch them."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to stop the Phoenix Fire.
"She is just afraid of bearing the consequences. Handing the stones over to the Vishanti, if Earth is saved, it counts as her merit in guarding it. If the purification fails, the responsibility won't fall on the Sorcerer Supreme."
The Ancient One looked at the crimson runes faintly visible in the depths of his eyes.
"You can question me, but you cannot ignore the people who are disappearing. The Celestial Mark is attached to your authority core. Forcibly retaining the stones will only implicate everyone associated with you."
She rotated the array and pulled up a piece of the future.
The Star Umbrella laboratory in the image had already shut down.
Potts stood in the empty office, her body beginning to become transparent from her fingertips, yet none of the surrounding employees remembered her name.
The second future quickly covered the previous one.
Anna reached out to grab Lin Nuo, but her palm passed right through his body.
She was pushed back by time to the stage before she met Lin Nuo, shrinking back into the corner of the laboratory again, terrified of anyone's touch.
Jean's flames shook violently.
The Ancient One continued to stir the tributaries of time.
The figures of Wanda, Emma, and Hela appeared one after another, and the cause and effect they had established with Lin Nuo were being erased piece by piece.
"Stop."
Jean raised her hand and grabbed the edge of the array, and the Phoenix Fire burned toward the Ancient One along the golden lines.
"You deliberately selected these images to stimulate him. The tributaries of time possess countless outcomes, and the future you displayed is only a part of them."
The Ancient One let her cuffs be burned away by the Phoenix Fire.
"I have seen all the stable branches that can be reached. As long as Lin Nuo continues to use the polluted authority, these results will happen sooner or later."
Lin Nuo reached out and pushed aside an image.
Himself in it stood alone on a shattered Earth, with no Star Umbrella around, nor anyone familiar.
The Celestial Mark replaced the six stones, becoming the only stable thing in his consciousness.
"Arishem the Judge wants to force me to deactivate my authority."
Lin Nuo crushed that piece of the future.
"It knows I won't hand over the stones, so it turns the people around me into a countdown. Once I begin to fear loss, it can force me to act according to the rules of the Celestials."
The Ancient One closed the array and reminded him in a deep voice.
"Seeing through the purpose cannot eliminate the mark. If you insist on keeping the authority, at least stop using the time rules and let Kamar-Taj close all related tributaries."
"And after closing them?"
Lin Nuo walked up to her.
"Letting my people be forever trapped in a cause and effect that could disappear at any time, waiting for the Vishanti to slowly study it? I don't have the habit of depositing my fate in someone else's hands."
The Ancient One blocked the stone door leading to the library hall.
"What do you want to do?"
"Open all the collections of Kamar-Taj."
Lin Nuo raised his hand, and the rules of space unfolded on the surface of the stone door.
"I want all the information on the Old God Imprints, cosmic curses, and time anchors. Missing a single page, and I will move the Sanctum Sanctorum into an independent space until you remember."
The mages guarding the edge of the square raised their magical instruments one after another.
However, the Ancient One did not give the order to attack.
She knew very well that starting a war with Lin Nuo now would only further tear the timeline apart, and Kamar-Tajcould not afford the price of the Phoenix running out of control.
"There is no spell in the library that can overwrite the Celestial Mark."
The Ancient One pressed against the stone door for a final dissuasion.
"Higher-level authority will bring new pollution. You have always used greater power to solve old problems, and one day you will lose the body capable of carrying them."
Lin Nuo looked at her.
"That is my problem. You just need to open the door."
Exclamations suddenly came from the other side of the square.
The apprentice who had just been sent into the mirror dimension reappeared.
His body was safe and sound, yet all the mages forgot his existence at the very same moment.
The apprentice stood in the crowd, explaining continuously, but no one could call out his name.
The Ancient One closed her eyes, and finally removed the seal on the stone door.
"You may consult the library, but all time-type magical instruments must remain in Kamar-Taj. If your actions cause the branches to continue to increase, I will unite the Sanctum Sanctorum to forcibly strip the stones."
Lin Nuo stopped as he passed by her side.
"You'd better prepare a sturdier sanctuary first."
The library hall opened on its own.
A large number of ancient books flew out from the bookshelves and unfolded around Lin Nuo.
The mental rules quickly read the text, while the system filtered out repair paths from the divine imprints and otherworldly life data.
Jean stood in front of the hall door, still staring at those vanished futures.
"If there is no answer outside the system, how will you choose?"
"Overwrite it."
Lin Nuo closed a book recording the Old God Imprints.
"Arishem the Judge used Celestial authority to pollute time, so I will find a stronger authority to crush it. It wants me to admit defeat, which means this method will make it even more uncomfortable."
Hearing this sentence outside the hall, the Ancient One's inner unease grew heavier.
She saw the tributaries of time behind Lin Nuo begin to turn toward Earth-1. A yellow star appeared at the end of the branch, and beneath the star stood a red-cloaked Kryptonian.
Deep within Lin Nuo's consciousness, a cold prompt sounded: "Repair path generated, highest efficiency target is locking onto Earth-1."