"Sigh..." As Lorna's hair grew whiter and her life force quickly drained away, a sigh echoed from a mysterious location within Kamar-Taj.
"She's really been influenced by these so-called superheroes, sacrificing herself to help others? She could have at least asked some of the Kamar-Taj students to share the burden with her," Wanda muttered, waving her hand in Lorna's direction.
With a soft hum, energy similar in color to the Reality Stone merged with it, unnoticed by everyone. Lorna suddenly felt a new force surge from the stone into her body.
The life force that had been rapidly depleting instantly replenished, and her once white hair turned back to its original dark hue. Even her strength seemed to be restored.
"What's happening?" Lorna was momentarily confused, unsure of what had just occurred, but the Reality Stone's power continued to radiate, affecting the entire Earth.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield where Robert and Tara clashed, the intervention of the Dark Dimension rendered all of Robert's earlier efforts useless.
Though Robert hadn't been confident about killing Tara completely, the explosion he unleashed should have left General Manny and the others with no hope of survival.
Even with their connection to the Dark Dimension, which made them nearly immortal, Manny and the others were incapacitated for a while. This meant Robert and Kara would have to deal with only one opponent—an injured Tara—which would make the fight far less daunting.
As for Algrim, Robert didn't worry much about him. The cursed warrior, weakened and barely clinging to life, was not much of a threat if handled carefully. Especially now, with Kara radiating sunlight and a small artificial sun floating next to Robert, Algrim couldn't fully utilize the power granted by the darkness. Moreover, Robert's increasing strength had already surpassed Algrim's.
Unfortunately, the arrival of the Dark Dimension's power ruined Robert's plan. Not only had Tara and his comrades fully recovered from their injuries, but their strength had also been significantly enhanced.
Even worse, this power boost was no longer tied to the dark environment—it was a direct empowerment from the Dark Dimension itself.
This meant that the sunlight, which had previously weakened them, was now ineffective, nullifying Robert's earlier strategy.
"Is that all you've got?" Tara, reveling in the familiar surge of power within him, swelled with confidence once more and taunted Robert.
"I thought you were supposed to be impressive. Was that really all you could manage after expending so much effort?"
Tara, while acknowledging that Robert's strength had surpassed his expectations, was certain that without the timely support from the Dark Dimension, the battle might have turned in Robert's favor. This near-victory only fueled Tara's rage, reminding him of the humiliating days when Robert's presence had forced him into hiding.
Tara's desire to kill Robert intensified. He didn't believe for a second that he could lose now.
"If I hadn't heard your screams during the explosion, I might have believed your boasting," Robert retorted with a smirk, mocking Tara.
"Rubbish! I never screamed!" Tara immediately retorted, not wanting to lose face in front of his subordinates.
During the explosion, Tara had been too focused on defending himself from Robert's deadly attack to cry out, and he certainly wouldn't admit to any such thing now.
"Are you sure? The explosion was so loud, but it didn't quite cover your wailing…" Robert teased, his body suddenly disappearing from sight.
With a swish, Robert reappeared beside General Manny and the others, launching several energy blasts infused with light energy.
Though the Dark Dimension wasn't inherently weak to light energy, it still held a deep aversion to it. Light was the most natural force to oppose darkness.
Another thunderous explosion echoed across the battlefield, though not as powerful as Robert's previous ultimate attack. Still, it packed enough force to cause serious damage.
Manny and the others struggled to resist the onslaught. Even though their connection to the Dark Dimension had made them stronger, they couldn't escape the sustained damage from Robert's attack.
They fared better than before, at least—this time, their bodies weren't completely shattered, though they were still far from unscathed.
"Get over here and help! Prove your worth by subduing this guy!" Tara bellowed at Malekith, clearly angered by Robert's sudden attack.
The few remaining dark elves looked at Malekith, unsure of what he would decide.
"Algrim! You're with me! The rest of you stay here!" Malekith hesitated briefly but quickly made up his mind.
Though Malekith hadn't fully sensed the arrival of the Dark Dimension, he had felt the overwhelming power that descended earlier. It was far stronger than any darkness he had ever known, from the dark Earth to the ancient dark universe. Nothing compared to the Dark Dimension's strength.
With that, Malekith had resolved to align himself with the Dark Dimension. He needed to prove his worth.
As for leaving the remaining dark elves behind, it was simply because they were too weak. If even Manny and the others couldn't withstand Robert's attacks, sending the elves would be tantamount to suicide—especially once they were weakened under the sunlight.
The dark elves were dwindling in number, and Malekith had no desire to be left without followers. Algrim, doomed as a cursed warrior, would at least serve to showcase the strength of the dark elves.
But from the moment Algrim had entered the battle, his performance had been far from satisfactory. Apart from knocking Hulk and Robert around a bit, he had achieved nothing. Despite his immense power, he hadn't been able to make an impact.
Now, as he prepared to follow Malekith's orders, Algrim was once again intercepted by Kara.
With her body emitting sunlight, it was even easier for Kara to stall Algrim than before. The sunlight greatly weakened his dark-enhanced powers. Even with the additional strength from the Reality Stone fragments, Algrim couldn't break free from Kara's freezing breath, finding himself repeatedly frozen in place.
However, even without Algrim's involvement, the situation had become dire for Robert as both Tara and Malekith charged into the explosion's aftermath.
Robert, though his power had surged to new heights, found himself at a significant disadvantage, even worse off than before when he had been trading injuries.
Despite Robert's grave injuries, Tara refused to rush in recklessly. He feared that Robert still had hidden tricks up his sleeve, waiting to strike unexpectedly as he had before.
So, Tara used his telekinesis to keep Robert restrained, letting Malekith continue the fight while they waited for Robert to weaken further before delivering the final blow.
Tara's plan was working well so far. Although Malekith wasn't as strong as before, Tara's immense strength made up for it. Together, they were overwhelming Robert, even resorting to a five-on-one strategy.
Seeing Robert's situation, Kara knew there was little she could do. She could only continue holding off Algrim, but beyond that, her options were limited.
Thankfully, Susan Storm soon joined the battle. With her arrival, the situation improved somewhat. Susan's strength had also grown, and although she hadn't fully mastered her newfound abilities, she could still help hold the line.
However, Tara quickly shifted his focus to Susan, determined to eliminate her first as a distraction.
But Tara didn't immediately attack Susan. He realized that Malekith wasn't pushing Robert to his limits. Was it possible that Malekith wasn't strong enough to force Robert to reveal his true power? After all, Robert had clearly been holding back when Algrim had overwhelmed him earlier.
Tara decided to take a personal risk and see if he could draw out Robert's hidden strength.
As for his own safety, Tara had to trust that the Dark Dimension would once again protect him.
Tara knew he couldn't afford to drag things out. If the Dark Dimension succeeded in fully taking over Earth's dimension before he had dealt with the local resistance, it would tarnish his standing with his master.
"You deal with the woman! Watch out for her telekinetic abilities. I'll take care of him!" Tara commanded Malekith decisively.
Though Malekith was annoyed by Tara's commanding tone, the Dark Dimension was far stronger than even the peak of the dark elf race. And since the Dark Dimension suited the survival of the dark elves, submitting wasn't the worst option.
There was also the reality that the Reality Stone hadn't completely plunged the universe into darkness. The Dark Dimension had come for Earth, and the dark elves weren't in a position to challenge it for control.
Once Earth fell into the Dark Dimension's hands, the dark elves would have no choice but to submit.
With a swift movement, Malekith vanished and charged toward Susan Storm, unleashing a lethal attack right from the start.
Freed from the artificial sun created by Robert's energy, Malekith's strength surged as his dark energy tore through Susan's invisible barrier.
"Die!" Malekith's eyes gleamed with madness. After so many battles with the Avengers, only the dark elves had suffered casualties. On the Avengers' side, not a single member had died, and few had even been seriously injured. Malekith couldn't stand it any longer.
"Hulk! Left side, 87 degrees, 35,000 meters! Attack!" At that moment, Robert's voice echoed in Hulk's mind.
Since the descent of the darkness, Hulk had barely had a chance to fight, save for almost hitting a Night Werewolf by mistake.
Hulk's situation was similar to Algrim's—immensely powerful but not versatile enough. Algrim couldn't keep up with Kara and Robert's speed, and Hulk couldn't see well in the dark.
Now, with Robert's directions, Hulk unleashed
all his strength, throwing a mighty punch toward the designated spot, even though he had no idea if anyone was there.
Meanwhile, Malekith's attack surged toward Susan Storm, whose barrier had been shattered. She had no chance to dodge and seemed moments away from death.
But just as Malekith's strike was about to land, Susan's body suddenly disappeared.
It wasn't teleportation—she had truly vanished, as if she had turned invisible.
Malekith's attack missed, and his heart sank as he recalled the Avengers' base's cloaking technology. A terrible feeling washed over him.
"Boom!" Just then, Malekith's body was struck by a devastating blow.
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