Seeing Karl suddenly appear behind him, Thanos's heart seemed to skip a beat.
What kind of ability was this?
Only by using the power of the Reality Stone could he create such a realistic illusion.
So what was going on with Karl?
Was this mage setting some kind of trap?
Seeing Thanos raise his Double-Bladed Sword in defense, Karl revealed a bright smile.
"Thanos, you're not the only one in this world who can create doubles."
"The Infinity Stones do possess astonishing power, but they are not invincible."
Karl spoke calmly.
"I have never believed myself invincible."
"I am only curious why you insist on stopping me."
"The resources of this universe are limited."
"I am fighting for the future of this universe."
"Only by destroying half the population can this world have a better future."
A strange expression appeared on Thanos's face as he spoke.
"Spare me."
"Who do you think you are?"
"What gives you the right to make that choice for every other life in the universe?"
"You're nothing but an executioner. Does making up some self-righteous excuse let you kill people however you want?"
"You make me sick."
"Why don't you kill yourself first and contribute to your own dream?"
"All these years, you've done more damage to the universe building your army than most civilizations ever could."
Karl spoke with open disdain.
No matter how lofty an ideal sounded, if it required trampling over others without restraint, then that ideal was vile.
And Thanos's so-called dream was nonsense to begin with.
Leaving everything else aside, the number of worlds devoured by Dormammu alone was far beyond anything Thanos could imagine.
Take the Kree Empire, for example—a cosmic empire ruling nearly half a star sector, with a total population of over thirty billion.
And that tiny number of people was enough to exhaust the resources of the universe?
What a joke.
Thanos was nothing more than an executioner twisted by his past.
There was nothing admirable about him, and nothing worthy of sympathy.
Karl did not waste any more words on Thanos.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned his weapon.
Thanos's face immediately darkened.
"I will use my power to realize my ideal."
In his hand, two Infinity Stones shone with dazzling light.
"Don't insult the word 'ideal.'"
"You're not worthy of it."
Karl's face was expressionless.
He waved his hand.
A condensed Magical Shield shot straight toward Thanos.
When it reached him, the shield erupted violently.
Bang!
A vortex like a black hole appeared in front of Thanos, as if it wanted to drag him inside.
And that was far from over.
Karl waved his hand again, and dozens of Magical Shields flew forward all at once.
After exploding, every one of those shields transformed into a black-hole-like vortex.
The surrounding building debris was sucked into them and forcibly annihilated.
This was an attack method Karl had developed only recently.
By combining the detonation of Magical Shields with the Law of Space, he could produce terrifying destructive force.
Even the spatial grenades used by the Dark Elves back then were inferior to this.
Time passed.
The black holes slowly faded away.
But in the place they had occupied, they left behind an enormous crater.
Inside it, whether soil or building debris, everything had already vanished without a trace, as though it had never existed at all.
Thanos stood at the center.
His exposed skin was covered in wounds, and purple blood flowed from his body.
If not for the glow of the Power Stone on the Infinity Gauntlet, he would likely have been torn to pieces by that overwhelming spatial force.
Karl looked at Thanos calmly and said,
"The Infinity Stones truly are powerful."
"They are magnificent treasures of the universe."
"But unfortunately, not everyone can bring out all the power hidden within them."
Thanos lifted his head.
His expression was somewhat numb.
The attack just now had left him utterly shaken.
What in the world was that attack?
That had been the power of the Infinity Stones!
An unmatched power.
And yet, even so, it had barely managed to withstand that kid's spell.
How terrifying was that?
So young, and already possessing such strength.
Thanos's heart sank.
He knew that with the amount of Infinity Stone power he could currently wield, he could not defeat this mage.
He had to call for reinforcements.
Thanos suddenly moved.
A vast and overwhelming force flowed from the Infinity Stones, forming a purple shield before him.
The wounds on his body began healing at high speed.
"Dormammu!"
"It's time to fulfill your promise!"
"Now is the time for you to act!"
"Join me and kill this mage!"
Thanos shouted loudly.
Karl's expression turned wary, and he immediately retreated back among the Sorcerers.
Dormammu?
That bastard Thanos had actually gotten mixed up with Dormammu?
Returning to the group, Karl summoned Magical Shields around himself.
When facing a Dimensional demon like Dormammu, even if Karl had already broken through to the Skyfather level, he still had to be careful.
That thing was no weakling.
Within the Dark Dimension, it shimmered like a baleful cosmic silhouette.
Even outside it, Dormammu could still wield power on the level of a Skyfather.
The Ancient One had fought him for so many years, and nearly the only thing that had kept him at bay was the Eye of Agamotto.
How could Karl not be cautious?
But—
After waiting and waiting, Karl saw no sign of Dormammu appearing at all.
"Thanos? Where's your backup?"
"Did Dormammu sell you out?"
Karl asked with a half-smile.
Thanos's heart also skipped a beat.
Dormammu was no reliable ally.
Could that creature really have betrayed him?
A mighty dimensional god, and still that shortsighted?
But facing Karl and the other Sorcerers, even if Thanos suspected the truth, he dared not say it aloud.
He simply kept silent and continued drawing on the power of the Infinity Stones to restore his injuries.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Dormammu had indeed arrived.
But the problem was that after his will descended, he was temporarily unable to find Thanos at all.
"Damn that Thanos. Don't tell me he betrayed me?"
"Did he call me here to be his scapegoat?"
Dormammu looked over the empty New York City, full of suspicion.
"No, that fool shouldn't be stupid enough to do something like that."
"But where is he?"
Dormammu's face was filled with confusion.
Hadn't they agreed to meet in New York City?
Dormammu released his immense Mental Force and began examining the area carefully.
"Hm?"
At last, he discovered something was wrong.
"This is..."
"The Mirror Dimension?!"
Dormammu was greatly alarmed.
How was that possible?
He too was a being well-versed in the Mirror Dimension.
And yet, at first glance, he had almost failed to detect it.
Had that boy's strength really reached such a level?
His control over space had actually attained this degree?
Dormammu sucked in a cold breath.
(End of Chapter)
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