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Chapter 381: Slim
"The universe has suffered catastrophic damage! Over thirty thousand galaxies have been destroyed!"
"The timeline is in chaos, and the boundary between reality and illusion is blurring! If we don't find a way to expel Trigon soon, we will all cease to exist!"
"Find a way to contact the Living Tribunal, or the clones of deities like Galactus! We can't let Trigon continue this rampage!"
"It's useless, we can't find them at all! The Living Tribunal's clone is busy suppressing a fully-formed Doomsday; how could it have time to deal with this universe? Galactus has vanished under strange circumstances. I suspect he saw things were going south and just fled!"
"This universe of ours was abandoned long ago!"
"What if we assemble the Seven Lantern Corps for a desperate, last-ditch fight? We might be able to awaken the White Lantern Ring!"
"Are you sure you won't just provoke a horde of Black Lantern Rings first? We wouldn't even need Trigon; the Black Lantern Rings alone could wipe out our universe!"
Many ancient existences engaged in a fierce debate, wracking their brains to find a way to deal with Trigon in one fell swoop.
But they were powerless.
To deal with Trigon, one would need to be on his level, but there was simply no one like that in this universe.
Moreover, no one was willing to offend Trigon for the sake of some insignificant universe. It simply wasn't worth it.
It wasn't that they didn't trust Tony; it was that Trigon's dreadful reputation was too overwhelming. From the moment he arrived, he had plunged them into despair.
The current situation proved it. Tony was being completely dominated. Two of the five gems had been shattered, with only a few fragments remaining on the Infinity Gauntlet, possessing just a sliver of the complete stones' power.
Some of them went mad on the spot, unable to believe this reality. How could things have been going so well, only to inexplicably provoke Trigon's arrival?
Outside the Prime Universe, within the Endless Blood Domain, the Watchers who had fled there cautiously hid themselves in the densest mass of Blood Realm energy, quietly observing the changes in the universe.
Even from such a great distance, they could still feel the unrest within the Blood Realm.
The terrifying energy shockwaves that periodically erupted from the Prime Universe caused tremors throughout the Blood Realm, propagating outwards.
The Blood Realm was a single entity, flowing slowly in fixed currents, occupying the vast space between universes. The aftershocks of the battle continuously spread outward, and it wouldn't be long before they were incidentally noticed by other beings.
...
BOOM!
Figures clashed, and Tony was sent flying once more, blasting through several dimensions. The brutal battle had thrown him to the very edge of the universe.
The power of the Infinity Gauntlet erupted again, barely managing to resist the six scarlet rays from Trigon's clone. Tony's condition was abysmal; a large amount of blood flowed out, his depleted red blood cells drifting in the universe.
"Worm, no one has ever survived my grasp! You shouldn't have stood up for that girl. If you hadn't, I might have spared this universe."
Trigon laughed maniacally as he reached out with one hand. His claws tore through space-time, revealing vast swathes of the Void. All matter and energy were annihilated, easily destroyed by Trigon. Any trace of existence was utterly obliterated by him.
Trigon himself was synonymous with destruction and annihilation. Wherever he passed, he would destroy everything in his path, leaving nothing behind.
"You should say that to The Endless! It can't feel good being suppressed by Sandman, can it?" Tony coughed with difficulty and sneered.
Trigon paused, then flew into a rage. His six eyes blazed with an even more terrifying red light. An aura of extreme, frenzied brutality rushed forth, compressing the universe itself, and a sweeping, frigid killing intent seemed to freeze the very soul.
This was a sore spot for Trigon.
The position of ruler of Hell was passed around, but no matter who held it, it was always between those few individuals. It had absolutely nothing to do with him, Trigon.
The strongest demon was completely ignored.
"You certainly know a lot..."
Trigon lowered his head and swiped down with one hand. In his fury, he destroyed numerous more galaxies, tearing a massive gap in the edge of the universe. Blood Realm energy began to flow in, easily occupying the original star systems.
The Blood Realm was an extremely dangerous thing. Now, flowing in unimpeded, its destructive power was also astonishing.
But right now, no one was paying attention to that. Trigon was the number one enemy. There was still a chance to contain the energy of the Blood Realm, but who could possibly deal with Trigon?
At the very least, Tony couldn't. He was at his limit.
His blood was nearly depleted. Great quantities of it sprayed into the void of space, silently forming a complex and massive runic pattern.
The Infinity Gauntlet had become tattered and worn, even showing slight signs of damage. Its three remaining gems were rapidly dimming, covered in a dense network of cracks and on the verge of shattering.
Tony looked down at the Infinity Gauntlet and the gems on it, remaining silent.
Trigon's face was grim. Then, he broke into a smile filled with brutal glee. He opened his massive mouth, revealing rows of beast-like sharp teeth, and sneered at the universe, at the ant-like Tony.
"Worm, you've lost. Even with the Legacy of Nemesis, you've still lost! I will tear your flesh apart piece by piece and torture your soul..."
"No, you're the one who has lost..."
Tony suddenly looked up, a wide grin splitting his face, revealing a mouthful of pearly white teeth.
Trigon was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to laugh wildly, he saw Tony stomp hard in the vacuum of space. The numerous runic patterns immediately began to emit a faint glow.
A summoning power began to manifest, growing stronger and stronger. It shook the universe, transcended the universe, crossed the Omniverse, and extended into another world.
"Summoning again? What a boring trick."
Trigon was getting impatient. He waved his hand, intending to kill Tony outright and take that unknown unique item.
It was a pleasant surprise. Trigon had only come looking for Raven, but he never expected to also acquire a precious divine artifact. At this point, Trigon was already considering whether he should destroy a few more universes for fun; he might find even more good stuff.
A magic circle, so vast and complex it could make one dizzy and nauseous, began to light up. It squeezed the very last traces of energy from every single red blood cell, as well as... the Allspark energy that Tony had secretly spread out.
Using a minuscule amount of mystic energy as a foundation and a large quantity of neutral Allspark energy to construct the framework, he opened a portal.
This magic came from Constantine, but it was filled with randomness and uncertainty. No one knew what kind of being would be summoned.
But when the unique energy of the Allspark was transmitted through it, if his guess was correct, then there was only one person who could make it here in time.
The tremors gradually ceased. A gaunt figure stepped out from the center of the magic circle. With a slight frown and a small raise of his hand, a black light emanated, easily blocking Trigon's attack.
Slim, the man who had left a deep impression on Tony before suddenly vanishing, had returned from Hell.
(end of chapter)
"The universe has suffered catastrophic damage! Over thirty thousand galaxies have been destroyed!"
"The timeline is in chaos, and the boundary between reality and illusion is blurring! If we don't find a way to expel Trigon soon, we will all cease to exist!"
"Find a way to contact the Living Tribunal, or the clones of deities like Galactus! We can't let Trigon continue this rampage!"
"It's useless, we can't find them at all! The Living Tribunal's clone is busy suppressing a fully-formed Doomsday; how could it have time to deal with this universe? Galactus has vanished under strange circumstances. I suspect he saw things were going south and just fled!"
"This universe of ours was abandoned long ago!"
"What if we assemble the Seven Lantern Corps for a desperate, last-ditch fight? We might be able to awaken the White Lantern Ring!"
"Are you sure you won't just provoke a horde of Black Lantern Rings first? We wouldn't even need Trigon; the Black Lantern Rings alone could wipe out our universe!"
Many ancient existences engaged in a fierce debate, wracking their brains to find a way to deal with Trigon in one fell swoop.
But they were powerless.
To deal with Trigon, one would need to be on his level, but there was simply no one like that in this universe.
Moreover, no one was willing to offend Trigon for the sake of some insignificant universe. It simply wasn't worth it.
It wasn't that they didn't trust Tony; it was that Trigon's dreadful reputation was too overwhelming. From the moment he arrived, he had plunged them into despair.
The current situation proved it. Tony was being completely dominated. Two of the five gems had been shattered, with only a few fragments remaining on the Infinity Gauntlet, possessing just a sliver of the complete stones' power.
Some of them went mad on the spot, unable to believe this reality. How could things have been going so well, only to inexplicably provoke Trigon's arrival?
Outside the Prime Universe, within the Endless Blood Domain, the Watchers who had fled there cautiously hid themselves in the densest mass of Blood Realm energy, quietly observing the changes in the universe.
Even from such a great distance, they could still feel the unrest within the Blood Realm.
The terrifying energy shockwaves that periodically erupted from the Prime Universe caused tremors throughout the Blood Realm, propagating outwards.
The Blood Realm was a single entity, flowing slowly in fixed currents, occupying the vast space between universes. The aftershocks of the battle continuously spread outward, and it wouldn't be long before they were incidentally noticed by other beings.
...
BOOM!
Figures clashed, and Tony was sent flying once more, blasting through several dimensions. The brutal battle had thrown him to the very edge of the universe.
The power of the Infinity Gauntlet erupted again, barely managing to resist the six scarlet rays from Trigon's clone. Tony's condition was abysmal; a large amount of blood flowed out, his depleted red blood cells drifting in the universe.
"Worm, no one has ever survived my grasp! You shouldn't have stood up for that girl. If you hadn't, I might have spared this universe."
Trigon laughed maniacally as he reached out with one hand. His claws tore through space-time, revealing vast swathes of the Void. All matter and energy were annihilated, easily destroyed by Trigon. Any trace of existence was utterly obliterated by him.
Trigon himself was synonymous with destruction and annihilation. Wherever he passed, he would destroy everything in his path, leaving nothing behind.
"You should say that to The Endless! It can't feel good being suppressed by Sandman, can it?" Tony coughed with difficulty and sneered.
Trigon paused, then flew into a rage. His six eyes blazed with an even more terrifying red light. An aura of extreme, frenzied brutality rushed forth, compressing the universe itself, and a sweeping, frigid killing intent seemed to freeze the very soul.
This was a sore spot for Trigon.
The position of ruler of Hell was passed around, but no matter who held it, it was always between those few individuals. It had absolutely nothing to do with him, Trigon.
The strongest demon was completely ignored.
"You certainly know a lot..."
Trigon lowered his head and swiped down with one hand. In his fury, he destroyed numerous more galaxies, tearing a massive gap in the edge of the universe. Blood Realm energy began to flow in, easily occupying the original star systems.
The Blood Realm was an extremely dangerous thing. Now, flowing in unimpeded, its destructive power was also astonishing.
But right now, no one was paying attention to that. Trigon was the number one enemy. There was still a chance to contain the energy of the Blood Realm, but who could possibly deal with Trigon?
At the very least, Tony couldn't. He was at his limit.
His blood was nearly depleted. Great quantities of it sprayed into the void of space, silently forming a complex and massive runic pattern.
The Infinity Gauntlet had become tattered and worn, even showing slight signs of damage. Its three remaining gems were rapidly dimming, covered in a dense network of cracks and on the verge of shattering.
Tony looked down at the Infinity Gauntlet and the gems on it, remaining silent.
Trigon's face was grim. Then, he broke into a smile filled with brutal glee. He opened his massive mouth, revealing rows of beast-like sharp teeth, and sneered at the universe, at the ant-like Tony.
"Worm, you've lost. Even with the Legacy of Nemesis, you've still lost! I will tear your flesh apart piece by piece and torture your soul..."
"No, you're the one who has lost..."
Tony suddenly looked up, a wide grin splitting his face, revealing a mouthful of pearly white teeth.
Trigon was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to laugh wildly, he saw Tony stomp hard in the vacuum of space. The numerous runic patterns immediately began to emit a faint glow.
A summoning power began to manifest, growing stronger and stronger. It shook the universe, transcended the universe, crossed the Omniverse, and extended into another world.
"Summoning again? What a boring trick."
Trigon was getting impatient. He waved his hand, intending to kill Tony outright and take that unknown unique item.
It was a pleasant surprise. Trigon had only come looking for Raven, but he never expected to also acquire a precious divine artifact. At this point, Trigon was already considering whether he should destroy a few more universes for fun; he might find even more good stuff.
A magic circle, so vast and complex it could make one dizzy and nauseous, began to light up. It squeezed the very last traces of energy from every single red blood cell, as well as... the Allspark energy that Tony had secretly spread out.
Using a minuscule amount of mystic energy as a foundation and a large quantity of neutral Allspark energy to construct the framework, he opened a portal.
This magic came from Constantine, but it was filled with randomness and uncertainty. No one knew what kind of being would be summoned.
But when the unique energy of the Allspark was transmitted through it, if his guess was correct, then there was only one person who could make it here in time.
The tremors gradually ceased. A gaunt figure stepped out from the center of the magic circle. With a slight frown and a small raise of his hand, a black light emanated, easily blocking Trigon's attack.
Slim, the man who had left a deep impression on Tony before suddenly vanishing, had returned from Hell.
(end of chapter)