American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

246. What Makes a Hero.

Paying off a magical debt is always a troublesome matter. It's just like financial debt: the stronger the magic you wield, the more frequently you use it, and thus, the more debt you accumulate.

Take now, for instance. Alex had just cleared the price of "any food put in his mouth would turn to sand," and yet, he was already facing a new round of consequences. If this continued, no one, not even him, could ever fully pay off this endlessly growing debt. No one. However, just as a good accountant can precisely calculate debts to achieve a balance, as long as Alex controlled a massive wealth of magic, he could offset the ever-increasing cost.

His fingers danced in the air as if playing the piano, and Alex could feel the continuous flow of magical energy surging within his body. This energy came from the dark power within Baron Mordo's body.

But at this moment, that sinister, tempting energy was being carefully controlled by Alex. He was breaking it down, converting it into something else entirely, then channeling it through a dozen complex magical conduits that connected to the members of the Justice League at New Era Square.

Summoning the Justice League was an incredibly difficult task. Before mastering abstract magic and astral projection, it had been utterly impossible for Alex to accomplish.

This wasn't just because it required immense power, but also because Alex had never interacted with all the members of the Justice League. Under such circumstances, what he could summon would have been little more than empty shells mimicking the Justice League members, fragile illusions that would break upon contact.

Fortunately, as a backup member of the Justice League, Black Canary had collaborated with many frontline superheroes. Hidden within her memories were all the details of the heroes from another world.

It was like a targeted storage device, and all Alex needed to do was extract a portion of the Justice League's essence and will, allowing them to manifest in this world through their own volition.

Under Alex's magical control, they would temporarily forget their past and fully immerse themselves in the mission he had set—rescuing the Red Hood. In this state, their actions would follow their own instincts and reasoning.

Of course, this approach had its drawbacks. For example, if Alex's instructions clashed with their innate thoughts, it could cause their consciousness to crack, leading to the failure of the magic and the immediate disappearance of the phantoms.

But this flaw wouldn't come into play here, because representing justice and defeating evil was the core principle of the Justice League heroes. Moreover, this mission was about rescuing the Red Hood, and Alex hadn't sensed any hesitation from the Justice League phantoms.

If there was any shortcoming in this magic, it was the incompatibility between the two universes.

Each universe had its own origin and development, which meant the combat power of the phantoms was affected to varying degrees. Even though Alex had done his best to use the abstract magic of "cognitive illusions" to help them adapt to this universe, it wasn't perfect.

The most significant impact was on their combat abilities.

Aquaman couldn't control the water of this universe, forcing him to rely solely on his trident and his tough body for combat. Cyborg's high-tech weapons were still functional, but without the Mother Box, he couldn't hack into Dr. Zola's network for digital warfare.

There was also the Flash, who lacked access to the Speed Force. His phantom was merely a fast-moving speedster in this world, with no ability to surpass light speed or travel through time.

As for Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, they hadn't been weakened, but their combat power was still tied directly to Alex's magic.

Since they were summoned using Alex's magic as a foundation, the energy threshold of his magic set a cap on their combat abilities. This upper limit was equal to Alex's current magical power.

In other words, if someone's strength was great enough to overcome Alex's mental magic, Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth would lose its effectiveness. Similarly, if someone had magic on par with Alex's, they could find the flaws in these phantoms. But unfortunately for them, the Red Skull had already severed this universe's connection to magic. This, however, was excellent news for Alex.

As he gazed at the seven floating stars in front of him, Alex's lips curled into a smile, and he murmured under his breath.

"Come, heroes, let Red Skull witness the might of rulers from another universe."

----------------

"Hyah!"

Wonder Woman let out a fierce battle cry, raising her shield to block the Shadow Knight's scimitar. Then, in a swift motion, she turned and sliced through the ambusher, Bartoc, with her sword.

Feeling death approaching, Bartoc's hair stood on end. He quickly halted his charge and twisted to avoid the blade aiming for his neck. The next moment, blood splattered. Bartoc only felt a chill in his arm before the searing pain burned through his shoulder.

For a moment, Bartoc only belatedly realized that he could no longer feel his arm. That slash just now had cut off his entire arm without any resistance.

"Ugh... aaah!"

The Jumper, Bartoc, clutched his wound and fell to his knees. His old, wrinkled face was filled with pain. He had forgotten—he was no longer the young man who once dared to challenge heroes. He had aged. Tears streamed down his face, and the intense pain left his other joints numb. At this moment, he couldn't even endure the agony.

"I heard you're called the Jumper? Hmph, you should retire, athlete."

Wonder Woman glanced coldly at Bartoc, seeing that he no longer had the ability to fight. Without delivering a finishing blow, she spoke indifferently, and at that moment, a flash of steel appeared as the Shadow Knight charged forward once more.

"Take care of yourself first, demigod. We've already banished the Olympus of this universe, and yours won't be an exception!"

"Mortal, you have no idea what a true 'god' is."

Although Wonder Woman didn't know what had happened to the gods of Olympus in this universe, the Shadow Knight's words truly enraged her. The Shadow Knight's eyes flashed with blinding light, and a visible bolt of divine lightning split the sky, striking directly toward Wonder Woman.

In response, Wonder Woman crossed her arms. Amidst the golden glow, the thick, silver-white lightning couldn't advance an inch past her forearms.

"You're already history, demigod. Your only use now is to lull children to sleep with fairy tales. The future belongs to Hydra—why don't you understand that?"

"The Oracle told me that the world would be ruled by humanity. But I am certain that 'humanity' does not refer to filth like you!"

At that moment, the divine power from two different universes clashed violently, and the explosion instantly cleared everything around them, blasting away everything in the vicinity.

The battlefield descended into chaos. Every member of the Justice League unleashed terrifying power, leaving the entire world watching in shock.

People didn't even know where to look, as each part of the battlefield was just as striking. Various energies, explosions, and bursts of light filled New Era Square, and no one dared blink, for fear of missing an important moment.

A middle-aged man, of average height and appearing to be in his forties, stood with his eyes fixed on New Era Square. His mouth had been agape since the Justice League had appeared.

As the editor-in-chief of 'The Daily Bugle', no reporters had dared come to witness Red Skull's judgment of the superheroes. No one wanted to risk their life in such a dangerous situation.

But he had resolutely taken on this burden, arriving at the execution site alone. Born in the twilight of the old age, he had grown up listening to stories of superheroes. After a lifetime of struggle, he had long felt a sense of hopelessness about the world.

If there was anything left that made life worth living, it was the hope that superheroes would reappear and bring hope back to the world. And now, he stood here—at the crossroads of history.

The brilliant energies and the terrible screams filled the battlefield, both terrifying and exhilarating. Countless Hydra soldiers fell one after another, and the air was thick with blood and the swirling desert sands.

He stared blankly at the scene, as if transported to the battles of the past. Two streams of tears ran down his face. He couldn't even imagine how horrific the wars of the old days had been, nor could he picture how wondrous the heroic era before them must have been.

His throat felt dry, his breathing difficult. Just then, the editor-in-chief shuddered as he felt someone bump into him.

Turning around, he saw an old man with a pack walking past him.

The old man was tall and sturdy, his white hair giving him an air of authority rather than frailty. For some reason, the editor felt a profound sense of danger emanating from this old man.

"Sir..."

Involuntarily, the editor-in-chief called out to the old man.

"Don't go any further. Ahead is the combat zone."

The old man paused, then took off the pack from his back. From it, he drew a composite alloy bow. It was only then that the editor realized the man wasn't a reporter—his pack didn't contain a camera tripod.

"I know," the old man replied, though he showed no intention of stopping.

"It's very dangerous up ahead," the editor reminded him again.

This time, the old man smiled, then without turning back, he headed straight toward the battlefield. He left behind only a soft, lingering voice that echoed in the editor's ears.

"I know."

..............

30 advanced chapters on p@treaon
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247. Hawkeye Joins the Battle!
248. Batman's Combat Power!
249. Unparalleled Art of War!
250. Defeating the Super-Skrull!
251. Switching to the Main Account.

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