On the battlefield, Thanos only grew more confident as the fight went on.
In his judgment, Karl might be able to pressure him, but he could not completely overwhelm him.
If he used the power of the Reality Stone, he might even be able to kill him in a single strike.
A strange light flickered in Thanos's eyes.
Meanwhile, Karl, who stood opposite him, felt better and better the longer they fought.
The power inside his body was becoming smoother and smoother.
And his grasp of the Law of Space seemed to flash with sudden moments of insight.
Thanos felt like he had already died once.
That razor-sharp aura, that terrifying fluctuation—
it gave him the feeling that death had come close enough to touch.
If that colorless longsword had truly pierced into his head, he would definitely have died.
But in the end, the powerful physique of an Eternal still kept him from failing to react.
He staggered slightly and lunged forward.
A flash of purple light burst out.
By the narrowest margin, he avoided Karl's deadly strike.
Not only that—
purple light flashed around his fist.
At a speed completely at odds with his massive build, he threw a punch backward.
He was fast.
Karl was faster.
Having grasped the Law of Space, his movements had become almost like teleportation itself, ghostly and unpredictable.
He dodged the attack directly.
Thanos pressed the advantage without mercy.
A powerful purple glow gathered in his fist, and a beam of purple energy shot straight at Karl.
Karl did not hesitate at all.
He pointed the Rift-Cleaving Blade forward.
A burst of golden sparks appeared.
A golden portal opened within a few milliseconds.
That purple beam emerged directly behind Thanos.
Slash!
The powerful purple beam slammed into Thanos's back, making him stumble.
Karl flashed forward, pressing in front of him.
Taking advantage of that stagger, he thrust the transparent blade in his hand forward.
If Thanos failed to steady himself, that terrifying transparent blade would pierce directly into his body—
and split open his chest.
But Thanos bent backward in a posture that utterly defied physics, retreating half a step and dropping his weight.
That saved him from being run through by Karl's sword.
A gleam flashed through Karl's eyes.
He had no intention of stopping. The Rift-Cleaving Blade in his hand continued driving toward Thanos's chest.
Thanos sucked in a sharp breath.
His body arched backward in a thoroughly unnatural motion.
At the same time, the double-bladed sword in his hand stabbed toward Karl.
If Karl insisted on taking his life, then that double-bladed sword, wrapped in the energy of the Power Stone, would also pose a threat to him.
Karl instantly halted his movement.
The Rift-Cleaving Blade swept sideways again, colliding with the double-bladed sword and producing a string of metallic clanging sounds.
If it had been Thanos's previous weapon, Karl would probably have cut it in half already.
But Thanos was smart enough to wrap a layer of the Power Stone's energy around it.
That was the only reason it could withstand Karl's Rift-Cleaving Blade.
The two of them exchanged blow after blow.
For a time, they were evenly matched. In just a few dozen seconds, they had already traded more than a hundred moves.
The sight left the Sorcerers and the members of the Avengers dumbstruck.
"It looks like Sorcerer Karl doesn't have the upper hand."
"Thanos is far too powerful. If Sorcerer Karl loses, we'll be in serious trouble."
Captain America could not help saying it aloud.
Thanos's strength was so monstrous that even the Hulk might not be able to defeat him.
In the short time they had been fighting, they had already torn apart two whole blocks.
And yet something was strange.
There was not a single civilian anywhere in those streets.
It was extremely odd.
Just as Captain America was wondering about it, a Sorcerer beside him spoke.
"You've got a good eye. Karl is still holding back."
"He still hasn't truly brought out his real methods."
"So far, he's only used two or three spells. He hasn't used any of his other means at all."
Captain America turned at once.
The one speaking was Baron Mordo.
"What do you mean, Sorcerer?"
"Are you saying Sorcerer Karl hasn't gone all out yet?"
Captain America sounded deeply shocked.
"Of course."
"Karl knows far too many spells."
"If you don't believe me, just keep watching. Once he gets fully accustomed to his power, things will naturally change."
Mordo spoke with a smile.
Everyone hurriedly looked back toward the battlefield.
Unlike before, Karl's teleportation now felt as natural as breathing.
The only way to describe it was elusive and impossible to pin down.
Several afterimages of Karl had actually appeared across the battlefield.
The scene of their battle had become dazzling to the extreme.
Clang!
The two weapons collided once more.
The force of the impact caused the surrounding ground to sink by half a meter.
Then the two of them separated again.
"Pah!"
Thanos spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and wiped at his mouth.
Karl was absolutely the strongest enemy he had ever faced in his life.
Even when he had once fought his own kind, he had never been reduced to such a miserable state.
His powerful body had actually been injured by this young man.
There was even a mark left on his face.
That was an extremely rare thing.
How old was this kid?
And yet he already possessed such terrifying strength.
Even Thanos could not help being astonished by talent like this.
No wonder Dormammu was so anxious to kill him.
Give him a few more years to develop—
and the situation would no longer look anything like this.
Thanos twisted his mouth, and a flash of light passed over the Infinity Gauntlet on his right hand.
Then he charged forward again.
Karl slashed at the Thanos in front of him.
But this Thanos made no move to defend himself.
Instead, as though he intended to perish together with him, he let the blade sink into his chest, then grabbed Karl in a crushing hold.
"The Reality Stone?"
Karl instantly understood what Thanos was trying to do.
He had used the power of the Reality Stone to create a duplicate to trap Karl while his real body moved in for the kill.
Karl tried to break free.
But he discovered that the Thanos in front of him, this duplicate, felt no fear of death at all and absolutely refused to let him escape.
For a moment, he was completely pinned down.
"What a pity. If not for this battle, we might have become good friends."
Thanos's figure emerged behind Karl.
The double-bladed sword in his hand glowed with purple light.
"What a shame."
"You stood in my way."
"You chose to become an accomplice to these people."
"So I can only kill you."
"My apologies."
With that, Thanos swung the double-bladed sword in his hand down toward Karl without the slightest hesitation.
Slash!
Blood sprayed across the scene.
Karl's head was cut clean off by Thanos.
And yet—
there was not the slightest joy on Thanos's face.
Only growing gravity.
Something was wrong.
He spun around violently—
only to find Karl standing behind him, smiling at him.
Thanos's pupils contracted sharply.
This bastard—
he had actually deceived the Reality Stone?
That kind of ability was simply horrifying.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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