The smiles on Morlun and Brix's faces froze instantly.
Brix, already riddled with wounds, let his lips tremble slightly, but in the end, he couldn't squeeze out a single syllable before his neck went limp, losing his breath right then and there.
In comparison, Morlun's condition was slightly better. Despite having his chest driven through by his father's hand, it wasn't enough to end his life immediately.
"Why?"
Morlun looked at the hand skewering his chest, and then at his smiling father opposite him, his voice saturated with complete incomprehension.
He couldn't wrap his head around it; as the most outstanding executioner in the family, he had always been regarded by his father as the designated successor. Why would his father suddenly strike, personally terminating his life?
Facing this question, the corners of Solus's lips hooked up slightly. His gaze bypassed Morlun's gradually shriveling body, casting straight toward Karn behind Peter.
"Because... I found a child more suited to inherit my mantle."
The exact split second his words fell, Solus casually tossed aside the shriveled corpses of Morlun and Brix, acting with the effortless ease of handling trash. Following closely, he looked toward Karn in the distance, extending his hand with a posture as if looking at his most precious treasure:
"Karn, my pride, my most outstanding child. I knew that the trial I arranged for you wouldn't break you, but would only make you stronger.
Starting today, you are the sole heir of the Inheritor family. As long as you are willing to stand by my side, I will impart all my strength without reservation. You shall ultimately become the sovereign of this universe."
It turned out that Solus was still unaware of the news that the clone factory had been destroyed, nor did he know that Karn was already fully aware of the true content of the prophecy.
He still believed he could employ words to bewitch Karn and make him stand on his side again, thoroughly rendering that prophecy useless.
Anyway, with the clone factory around, his children could be resurrected later. Once Peter was captured, and Morlun and the others were brought back, Karn would naturally lose his utility. When that time came, if he wanted to kill this waste of a son, wouldn't it be as simple as squeezing an ant to death?
Solus's calculations were clicking along flawlessly, but reality slapped him ruthlessly across the face.
Facing Solus's highly provocative words, Karn's face remained as calm as an ancient well. The gloom deep within his eyes, far from diminishing a single fraction because of this sudden "favor," became increasingly intense instead:
"Father, what's the point of putting on this kind of theatrical display with me at this stage? Furthermore, don't blame me for not warning you—the clone factory has already been completely destroyed by me. So... you just literally and definitively killed your most beloved son with your own hands."
Solus: ???
Glancing at Morlun behind him, who had already thoroughly turned into a dried corpse, Solus's face for a moment looked as if a spice rack had been knocked over. After his complexion shifted from green to white, it finally settled into a pitch-black hue resembling the bottom of a pot:
"Damned beast! Since you are so stubbornly unrepentant, don't blame this father of yours for teaching you properly how to correctly be an Inheritor!"
As he spoke, Solus dived down, his target pointing straight at Karn. The speed was so fast that the crowd on the field couldn't even react in time.
Cosmic energy, also known as the Enigma Force. This power was the source of light born in opposition to Knull, the God of Klyntar—the purest energy construct manifested from a certain grand will. Once it bonded with an individual, it could magnify that person's various attributes up to seven thousand five hundred times!
Although Solus hadn't obtained the genuine recognition of the cosmic energy and had merely relied on the vampires' natural suppression of totem power to forcefully confine this force within his body, even this level of amplification was already incredibly exaggerated.
When stacked on top of his original universal-level combat prowess, his speed was practically identical to instantaneous teleportation.
Facing a speed this fast, Karn couldn't mount a defense at all, instantly slammed heavily into the ground by Solus.
With just this single strike, the bones across his entire body shattered instantly, his form resembling a heap of mud as he thoroughly lost the capacity to move.
"I'll leave you with one breath. Once I resolve that 'Other,' I'll come back to properly deal with you, little beast."
Considering that this was, after all, his last remaining son—even if the opponent was the traitor in the prophecy—Solus had no choice but to leave him alive.
His thoughts were straightforward: just wait until he slaughtered Peter, the Other, thoroughly snapping the strings of the Spider Totem prophecy, and then use the power within his body to completely wipe Karn's memory, turning him entirely into his puppet.
With this thought, Solus withdrew his gaze from Karn and turned toward Peter, the greed within his eyes flashing without the slightest concealment:
"The most important Other in the prophecy... I hope you won't leave me too disappointed."
Looking at Solus, who was close at hand, even Peter's face couldn't resist displaying a trace of solemnity. The power radiating from Solus's body caused even him to sense a heavy wave of pressure.
Without a fraction of hesitation, Peter once again utilized the Tiger Talisman to split himself into his good and evil halves. The Solus before his eyes was indubitably the strongest opponent he had encountered to date, his combat prowess even surpassing that of Thor and Laufey.
Under these circumstances, he had to ensure the full-power output of the telekinetic shield; only by doing so could he restrict the destruction within Hell's Kitchen.
Otherwise, let alone New York, probably the entirety of America would be torn to pieces in this battle.
Once the split was complete, Evil Peter remained as arrogant and unbridled as ever. Even when facing a Solus with such a terrifying aura, he didn't display a single sliver of hesitation, laughing wildly as he charged straight toward Solus.
Meanwhile, Good Peter unleashed all his methods at this split second, comprehensively amplifying the telekinetic shield to reinforce the energy barrier enveloping the skies above Hell's Kitchen by over a hundred times, subsequently looking toward Tony and commanding:
"Tony, take everyone and evacuate Hell's Kitchen immediately! The upcoming battle isn't something you guys can interfere with."
Gwen, Felicia, Sif, and Natasha were naturally unwilling to leave. But they ultimately understood Peter's intentions deep down, and understood even better that staying behind would only turn them into a liability for him.
Therefore, after exchanging a collective glance, they instantly made up their minds, decisively following the superheroes to evacuate Hell's Kitchen.
The exact instant the crowd departed, a terrifying fluctuation suddenly erupted. That was the shockwave brought about by the first clash between Evil Peter and Solus.
With just a single exploratory exchange, the sand walls and ice walls that had previously sufficed to withstand the wild bombardment of all the Inheritors were instantly ground into dust.
The buildings within Hell's Kitchen that had originally been protected flawlessly collapsed with a roar.
Those drone cameras hovering in mid-air responsible for broadcasting were smashed to pieces in an instant, leaving the tens of millions of viewers across America who were nervously watching the battle completely stunned.
Crap, why did the feed cut out?!
Compared to the viewers' bewilderment, the superheroes on the scene felt significantly more anxious. Because at the exact split second, Evil Peter's fist collided with Solus, Evil Peter himself actually flew backward out of control!
That was Peter!
In their awareness, the Peter who had never once fallen into a disadvantage had actually been suppressed by his opponent in a head-on confrontation! Just how terrifyingly monstrous was this Solus's actual strength?
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