"It's useless. Everything you're doing now is just a futile struggle."
"However, I must say your strength truly surprises me. Thanos's ability to cultivate sons doesn't seem to be much inferior to his other abilities."
Watching Beckett adjust his breathing, Shafrin waved his hand. His vibrant red cape, after being detached from the golden armor, instantly transformed into a drill and shot straight towards the prepared Beckett.
"But, you are ultimately just Thanos's son, not Thanos himself."
If Thanos himself were here, Shafrin might not be so confident. But now, wielding a portion of the Mind Stone's power, he didn't take Beckett seriously at all.
In terms of power, they were not on the same level at all. In Shafrin's opinion, Beckett being able to break free from his mental control was already quite outstanding.
Boom!
The pure energy blast instantly tore through the cape Shafrin had thrown. Beneath the scattered red strips, Beckett's figure had already vanished from his spot and appeared before Shafrin.
"You talk too much."
The indifferent words rang in Shafrin's ears. A fierce whip kick aimed at Shafrin's golden armor, but it only kicked up mud.
"Too slow."
Beckett's afterimage gradually dissipated, and Shafrin's true form appeared behind Beckett. He closed his deep eyes, formed his hand into a blade, and drew an "X" in the air, opening the window within his mind.
Endless monster roars stretched the "X"-shaped window with their bodies, and where the two diagonal lines intersected, a door crack about a person tall was gradually torn open.
Shafrin, with his eyes closed, spread his hands, quietly listening to the darkness deep within his heart.
"Roar!!!"
Dense clusters of monsters roared towards the sky, struggling, and scrambled out of the center of the "X" window in mid-air, their faces ferocious.
"This is impossible..."
The Other, awakened from the ocean of philosophy, fumbled for the Casket of Ancient Winters as he looked at the growing number of opponents. Just as he was about to use the Azure Scepter to release its power and freeze the monsters that were still flailing their claws and teeth, his vision suddenly went completely black, and he could no longer see anything.
"His Highness Beckett!"
"His Highness Beckett!"
"I, why can't I see anymore!"
Flustered and panicked, with a trembling, fearful voice, The Other, suddenly blinded, lost all direction.
The Casket of Ancient Winters in his hand rolled to the ground. The Other crouched down, fumbling for it, but found nothing.
"Annoying flies, aren't they?"
Shafrin retracted the index finger he had pointed at The Other, his playful tone causing Beckett's heart to fill with vigilance. However, it was already too late.
Just like The Other, Beckett instantly lost his sight.
[What?!]
"Let's see how long you can last, Thanos's son." Shafrin chuckled, opened his eyes, and waved his hand. Behind him, the monsters that had poured out of the "X"-shaped windows seemed to have received an order and charged directly at Beckett, who had lost his vision!
Vision Deprivation, one of Shafrin's two thousand skills, was also derived from the partial power the Mind Stone had granted him.
"Lost, vision?"
Suppressing the initial shock in his heart, Beckett simply closed his eyes, listening to locate his opponents. His body swayed left and right amidst the endless monster army, and explosive energy beams continuously emerged from the fingertips of Beckett's ten fingers.
"This power fluctuation..." Astra, beside The Other, was filled with shock in his eyes. The energy fluctuation from Shafrin reminded Astra of the mysterious energy dormant within his own body, which he called the Great Cosmic Power.
"How is this possible..."
He had entered that mysterious realm due to an experimental accident, but why did this leader of the U40 Planet possess such power?
And it seemed he could use it flexibly, much more obedient than the power within him that barely listened to commands.
"Hey! Beckett! The power on that guy is the Great Cosmic Power I was talking about!"
Astra shouted to remind him. Beckett dying here would bring him no benefit.
[Great Cosmic Power?]
[What a weird name. If there's Great Cosmic Power, does that mean there's also Small Cosmic Power?]
Hearing this, Shafrin paused his actions, the corners of his eyes beneath the mask lifting in helplessness.
So many years had passed, and his brother's naming conventions were still as casual and unreliable as ever.
[Never mind, let's finish this quickly to avoid future trouble.] Shafrin, still wary of Thanos in his heart, looked at Beckett, who didn't seem to be greatly affected, and pointed his right index finger at him again.
An illusionary domain constructed by the Mind Stone's energy instantly enveloped Beckett.
"Hearing Deprivation."
"Smell Deprivation."
"Touch Deprivation."
"Taste Deprivation."
With all five senses lost, an experience Beckett had never had before, his body instantly stiffened in place.
His mind seemed to have stepped into the realm of death. He had lost his perception of this world, any form of perception.
He could not hear the flow of the wind, nor feel the formless sound. He could only stand there blankly, letting the endless dark monsters drown him.
"Beckett!!!"
Astra, who had witnessed all of this with his own eyes, roared, shouldering his heavy assault cannon and aiming its muzzle at the monsters still crawling towards Beckett before pulling the trigger.
Possessing the power of the Mind Stone himself, he was the only one on this planet immune to Shafrin's illusionary manipulations.
The spitting fire snakes engulfed the monsters' grotesque faces, yet they couldn't make Beckett open his eyes. His motionless body stood still, his stern face lacking a bit of its usual vitality.
"It's no use. He has fallen into my illusory domain. Now, it's your turn." Shafrin's figure instantly appeared behind Astra, and he struck the latter's neck with a chop. The powerful force caused an energy shield to surge across Astra's body!
It was a power originating from the same source as Shafrin's.
"That's not necessarily true."
Taking advantage of his passive skill's refresh, Astra broke free from Shafrin's restraint and scrambled to Beckett's side.
Knowing his own limits, Astra, fully aware of his capabilities, directly touched Beckett's forehead with his hand as the Great Cosmic Power within him was triggered.
He had to awaken Beckett, to use the power within him that was usually so disobedient.
"Wake up for me!!!!"
A strong survival instinct forced Astra to let out a roar from the depths of his heart. The trace of the Mind Stone's power within him, following his thoughts, reluctantly surged into Beckett's body...
"Zzzzt..."
"Zzzzt..."
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