Chapter 89: End of a War (2)
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"The weak have no rights or choices. Their only fate is to be relentlessly crushed by the strong!"
- Giyu Tomioka, (Demon Slayer)
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<(Omniscient POV)>
"No, shit. That crazy xenophobic Kree idiot activated the temporal displacement core at full power. It's going to explode. I need to escape, all of us need to escape... NOW." Gamora suddenly yelled, looking quite distraught as she eyed the glowing silver light of the Cosmic rod.
"Temporal what?" Susan asked, as she too looked at the glowing weapon with a curious look on her face.
"It is the most perilous power of the Universal weapon and the reason why even the mightiest armies hesitate to confront a Kree Accuser. It contains a temporal core designed to shield its bearer from temporal assaults by generating a displacement bubble. However, in a desperate move, this core can be overcharged to trigger an explosion, obliterating everything in a vast temporal blast. In a word, it's the deadliest 'time bomb' ever devised. The blast is likely to annihilate a substantial part of this planet," Gamora disclosed, as she readied her hoverbike to flee as far as possible.
But before she could even start, the Universal weapon exploded in a silver light. There was no countdown, no warning, only an explosion that threatened to erase them all from time.
But before the explosion could expand killing everyone around the scene with the power of accelerated time, Atem simply "caught" the explosion with his hands and held it like a small glowing ball of silver-blue light. His body remained unchanged as he held on to the "ball". However, his eyes had already changed from his normal ones to his red-colored Rinnegan, signifying that he was using one of his ocular abilities to do what he was doing.
After a couple of seconds of blatantly staring at the small "ball" within his palms, he tossed it inside his mouth and simply swallowed with a straight face... or at least he tried to do so.
"Eh, it tastes like three days old porridge with mold on it." Atem couldn't help but comment. "I wonder how Momonshiki or Strange swallowed all those different energy attacks and mystical beings with a straight face." He murmured to himself, not at all enjoying the lingering bad taste on his tongue.
'Wait, is energy even supposed to have taste?' He wondered in his mind.
While Atem was wondering about all these useless thoughts, most of the people watching him were more than just surprised. However, the one who was shocked the most was probably Ronan. Being the one standing the closest to Atem and the temporal explosion, he was actually the only one who was affected by the blast even though his contact with the energy only lasted for a split second before Atem contained it. And the results did not look pretty.
Ronan looked like he had aged centuries in just a single second. All his hard-earned muscles were gone, his blue skin hanging like loose fabric and even his armor had completely vaporized. He was unable to even stand still as his bones felt like they were made of jelly. Time seemed to have taken a hefty toll on Ronan.
But still, Ronan didn't seem to be concerned with his own state much. Instead, he was looking at Atem with wide eyes that seemed to be unable to believe what had just happened. "H-How did you s-survive that?" He spoke slowly, his voice seemed to be breaking due to his old age.
"I am immortal and unageing, thereby immune to the effects of time," The young god answered with a powerless shrug.
Certainly, he didn't mention the fact that there was a chance he could become stronger over time, as is common among Asgardians and other deities. However, it would also likely require a degree of training to push his boundaries and truly enhance his strength.
"Don't worry though, you've actually given me a slight advantage. I can now harness the temporal energy I've just swallowed to combat my foes. It'll serve as a good Plan B, should I find myself in grave danger," Atem disclosed, sensing the distinctive temporal energy within himself.
'Also, I could also try and fully absorb the energy into myself instead of just storing it to see if I could awaken some cool time powers. But that is a decision to be made later.' He thought to himself.
"Well since you just destroyed the best thing about yourself which was your Universal weapon while also reducing yourself to a crippled old man, killing you would be a mercy now. And everybody knows how much of a merciful god I am. So, rest in peace, and don't fret, I will take care of all your properties and everything else you own." Atem said with a beautiful smile, as he placed his hand on Ronan's shoulder like he was his old friend.
"Wait, I can... *Zzzzzzrrrreeeeeoooowwww*" Ronan could not complete his words as a wide red beam of energy escaped from Atem's eyes and completely obliterated the aged Kree warlord away from this world.
"Oh, it actually worked. I really can unleash energy beams from my eyes as well. That was immensely satisfying. I believe I've just discovered my favorite method of attack," Atem murmured to himself, realizing why Homelander enjoyed lasering everyone he disliked. Employing laser beams proved to be more convenient than using physical strength and far more satisfying than magic.
While Atem reveled in his victory and the discovery of a new method to kill, Gamora, on the other hand, was gasping for breath as she tried her best to hide the panic on her face.
Atem's triumph may appear trivial to the eyes of an ordinary onlooker, but she understood the expected potency of that blast. She was familiar with stories of Accusers decimating entire cities with such an attack as a last resort. The Kree had ended many wars in stalemate using this tactic. Yet, a stranger, previously unheard of, had just absorbed that explosion. It was an astounding feat, something almost unbelievable.
Gamora had experienced the power of the Cosmi-rod herself before and knew that she was not a match against Ronan in direct combat because of this very weapon. Thanos had appointed Ronan as the leader instead of her in this war because of how undefeatable he was supposed to be with the full might of the Universal weapon at his disposal. Even the members of the Nova Corps with access to the Nova force have never managed to win against the Supreme Accuser because of that particular weapon. But in front of Atem, Ronan seemed like a little kid getting pushed around.
"Okay, now that I have taken care of him, I do not think we need to go ahead with the third battle since I seem to have already won the dominion honor duel according to its rules and preset conditions. So, the question is what to do with you and Thanos' leftover army." Atem wondered aloud while looking at Gamora.
"The Chitauri army didn't belong to Ronan. They weren't part of his forces. It doesn't matter if you won or not, they won't listen to you or even me for that part. Since there is nobody to command them, these soldiers are no better than trained beasts who only know how to kill." Gamora hastily uttered as she pointed at the thousands of Chitauri soldiers who seemed confused at the results of the battle and looked like they were preparing themselves to resume the war again before adding, "But I know of a way to stop them. If we can come to a deal, then I can help you in...."
"Corrosion wave" A sickening wave of black and red energy escaped Atem's hands and rushed toward the various Chitauri soldiers and their ships like a tsunami, hitting them like a wave of black mist before completely erasing them out of existence.
For a brief period, muffled cries of anguish and fear resonated across the planet even though it was unknown if it originated from the Chitauri victims or from the dark energy of the void itself. However, after a few minutes, everything became silent again as the energy itself also disappeared from existence like it was never there along with the battleships and the thousands of Chitauris aboard them. Except for Roanan's primary battleship, the attack had wiped them all out.
"You mentioned a deal?" Brunhilde snickered, observing the surprise on Gamora's face, then shook her head in disappointment. "Such a waste of resources and free slaves," she sighed. "War is indeed wasteful."
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