American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

210. Battle of Magic!

In the original comic, the Shadow King ultimately met his end at the hands of an aged Star-Lord.

At that time, the elderly Star-Lord, relying on luck and exceptional combat experience, had just defeated the planet-devouring Galactus. After resolving the issues on Earth, he decided to shift his focus to the stars. As the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord believed that his battlefield was the entire universe.

However, before leaving Earth, Star-Lord wanted to visit the fallen grounds of the X-Men to mourn his former lover, Kitty Pryde, who had once been a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. But what Star-Lord didn't expect was that instead of finding peace for his mind upon arriving with flowers in hand, he encountered the ambush of the Shadow King's illusions.

In a way, the old Star-Lord and Alex share a similar "experience," as the first illusion they both saw was that of Kitty Pryde.

The difference is that Star-Lord saw the Kitty Pryde from his memory, the one who was brutally killed by Wolverine. But Alex saw the Kitty who was imprisoned in the mutant jail in the Ruins Universe and ultimately died by Alex's hand.

"I'm not here to talk to you," Alex coldly observed the Kitty in front of him and then said flatly, "I'll give you a chance. If you give up resisting, I'll give you a quick death."

Kitty was momentarily taken aback, her gaze flashing with a hint of surprise as she looked at Alex. However, she quickly recovered and chuckled, "A pathetic sorcerer daring to target me—don't you know who I am?"

Noticing the surrounding mental energy beginning to surge, Alex retrieved a black umbrella from behind his back.

"It seems you're not going to take this opportunity."

As his voice fell, Alex suddenly sidestepped, and the next moment, a laser beam shot out from the darkness, tearing through the ground with terrifying destructive power, leaving a gash that extended from the building to the outside.

Half-crouching to stabilize his position, Alex looked up to see several figures slowly emerging from the darkness. Leading them was someone whose face was glowing with a bright red light, making him highly visible in the dark environment.

"The one missing an opportunity is you," Kitty Pryde smiled as she revealed herself fully, now donning the X-Men's uniform, and her appearance had completely changed from the Kitty Pryde in Alex's memory.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting here? That damned Red Skull! He killed almost everyone with psychic abilities, and I was forgotten for over forty years. But luckily for me, I found an uninvited rat like you."

Alright.

Alex shook his head slightly. It seemed the Shadow King had thoughts similar to his own. Alex needed to consume the abstract magic that the Shadow King possessed, which was linked to the Astral Plane. And it seemed the Shadow King had taken a liking to Alex's body, which was highly gifted in magic. This was a mutually destructive pursuit.

"Taking over my body isn't going to be easy," Alex sneered as he stood up, pointing the tip of his umbrella at Kitty. "My bones are tough; you better be careful not to break your teeth."

"You can only be arrogant for now," Kitty's face twisted into a sinister grin, her eyes glowing eerily red, and her mouth stretching to her ears. With a chilling laugh, shadowy figures began to reveal themselves behind her.

Alex looked in their direction and saw several "familiar faces" appearing before him. Behind Kitty, the X-Men's leaders, Cyclops and Storm, were approaching slowly, along with Beast, Nightcrawler, and Colossus.

These figures were no longer "human"; they retained their appearances from their moments of death, with most of them bearing visible three-claw marks—clearly the work of Wolverine.

"What's the matter? Surprised to see us?" Cyclops's visor was shattered, revealing a glowing red eyeball emitting a destructive crimson light. "Don't forget, this is our home turf."

Glancing at the group of X-Men surrounding him, Alex waved his right hand. Instantly, a ghostly green flame erupted from the seams of his clothing. The surrounding abstract energies, as they were burned by the flames, burst apart in the twisted air like a drop of water in a boiling oil pot.

Activating his sorcerer's eye and seeing the scene before him, Alex tightly gripped his black umbrella.

Initially, Alex had thought these X-Men were merely illusions created by the Shadow King, assuming that destroying the mental energy would make them disappear. But what surprised Alex was that the X-Men in front of him were indeed the "real" deal! No, calling them real isn't entirely accurate.

These figures were composed of concentrated soul energy. Although they had a temporary physical form, they were no longer their true selves. What remained here were merely their "memory fragments" or "residual images."

As another destructive laser beam shot toward him, Alex raised his hand, summoning a ghostly green energy to block it.

"I almost forgot that you were once a renowned 'necromancer'!"

Dodging an attack from Nightcrawler, who had teleported behind him, Alex's shadow suddenly writhed, and the next moment, a massive tentacle extended from beneath his coat, swatting Nightcrawler away. It then turned its attention to Colossus, who was preparing to charge.

"You know, Shadow King, I'm really curious. After the magical dimensions were driven away, what kind of power allowed you to trap so many X-Men souls? But then again, how much combat power can these weakened forms even muster?"

"Oh, it's not just them," Kitty tilted her head.

Hearing this, Alex narrowed his eyes. As expected, the next moment, he sensed two bursts of energy emerging from behind him. With the X-Men's group keeping him occupied, Alex couldn't free himself in time, so he decided to take the hit head-on.

Stomping his right foot on the ground, a large polygonal magic circle instantly spread beneath Alex. The ghostly green flames flared up, forming a barrier that blocked the incoming energies.

Simultaneously, the expanding flames forced the X-Men to retreat. Colossus, unable to withdraw in time, was engulfed by the flames. These flames, like the ones Alex had used to modify the Ghost Rider's bike, were specially designed for "restoration."

And for Colossus, who was made of abstract magic, this flame, which could deconstruct the essence of energy, left him unable to even struggle as he was reduced to ashes by the green flames.

After finishing this, Alex turned his gaze toward the direction of the attack.

Not far behind him, two figures in iron suits stood like gods of death, blocking the only exit route for Alex.

"Surrender your weapons, sorcerer!"

...…..

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211. Abstraction and Substance.
212. Baron Zemo.
213. Hydra Captain.
214. The Waning of a Hero.
215. The Death of the Hydra Captain.

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