American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

433. The Power of Corruption!!!

(T/N): Since it's Christmas there is mass release.

Merry Christmas

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Beyond Earth, among the stars.

Two comet-like light clusters streaked across the sky, unleashing incredible energy and blinding brilliance.

The two lights collided repeatedly, generating waves of devastating energy that engulfed nearby asteroids and space debris.

At the forefront was an orange-hued humanoid figure faintly clad in a red and blue sleeveless suit.

Quasar continuously unleashed photon energy, seeking opportunities to shoot toward the rear.

"You have no chance. Give up, Quasar," a voice rang out.

Behind Quasar, emerald-green flames burned in the void of space. How the flames managed to exist without oxygen was a mystery, but to Quasar, it felt like a relentless curse that couldn't be shaken off.

"I can feel your energy weakening. It's obvious," the voice continued.

A pitch-black shadowy tentacle emerged from the flames, shattering the incoming laser into fragments. The shadow expanded rapidly, growing into a terrifying octopus-like monstrosity cloaked in darkness.

Quasar, glancing back, was nearly startled out of his mind when he saw what resembled a demon crawling out of the borders of a hellish dimension.

"You! You're not from this world. None of you are! Who the hell are you people!?"

Even in his zombified state, with remnants of intelligence, Quasar realized something was amiss. In this universe, after they had annihilated all life, no one of this power should exist.

The energy radiating from the monstrous entity pursuing him was akin to that of a dimensional overlord. This wasn't an ordinary foe but likely some restless dimensional demon.

"If I said I'm from M78 (T/N: Ultraman home galaxy), would you believe me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Quasar had no fight left in him. All he wanted was to escape this nightmare, to get as far away from the monstrosity as possible.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Since losing his connection to the Eon, the quantum bands' energy had dwindled significantly.

In his prime, Quasar could rival the likes of Mephisto. But now? He was a shadow of his former self.

The greatest secret of the quantum bands lay in their ability to connect to a unique dimension, allowing the user to freely draw upon its immense energy. However, ever since the zombie virus outbreak, Quasar had found it increasingly difficult to access that energy.

If the energy once flowed like an endless river, now it felt like a swamp—thick, sluggish, and sparse.

"Running won't change the outcome. You should've accepted this earlier," the ominous voice echoed again, like Death whispering in his ear.

The terrifying shadow blotted out the stars, becoming an endless darkness chasing Quasar. Within that darkness, a ghostly green flame flickered like the eye of a malevolent creature.

"Get away from me, you monster!"

"You dare call me a monster? Have you looked in a mirror lately? Look at yourself—what you've become. You were a hero once, a protector of the Eon and universal peace. And now?"

Several massive tentacles lashed out toward Quasar, forcing him to accelerate dangerously to evade the attack.

"You should be hunting the one who caused all this! It was their world that invaded ours! They brought destruction and despair. We are the victims!" Quasar shouted desperately.

The oppressive voice responded shortly after.

"No one is innocent."

The shadow, swift as lightning, overtook Quasar. A massive black tentacle struck down like a guillotine.

Quasar barely managed to raise a shield in time, but the force hurled him downward like a shooting star toward the moon.

The soundless crash left a colossal crater on the lunar surface. Quasar was not faring well.

Retracting the planet-sized shadowy octopus back into his umbrella, Alex descended onto the moon's surface, surrounded by ghostly green flames. His every movement exuded elegance.

He glanced toward the crater where Quasar had fallen, his steps light as he floated across the terrain.

The collision had stirred up an immense cloud of dust, moving slowly in the moon's low gravity. The haze obscured the crater, making it difficult to see what lay within.

Standing at the crater's edge, Alex raised a hand, and golden light flashed from his palm. A sudden, eerie gust of wind swept through, dispersing the lingering dust in an instant.

At that moment, a golden laser shot out from the crater, aimed directly at Alex's head with lethal precision.

However, Alex, having anticipated the attack, halted the beam a meter away with sheer force of will. The energy clashed against an invisible barrier, unable to move any closer.

"It seems you can no longer wield the quantum bands' power properly. I didn't even need a spell—basic telekinesis was enough to block you," Alex remarked indifferently, his gaze thoughtful and puzzled.

"Th-this is impossible…"

Quasar extended his arms, photon energy erupting from his hands in desperation. Yet his attacks were effortlessly neutralized by Alex, who found the spectacle almost irritating.

"Nothing is impossible."

With a soft utterance, Alex's words marked the moment when both of Quasar's arms were severed by an unseen force. The clean, smooth cuts bore testament to the precision and sharpness of the attack.

"Ahhh!!"

As his arms fell, Quasar was overwhelmed by a bone-chilling dread. He staggered toward his severed limbs, desperately trying to reach the quantum bands. But without the protective photon energy, the electromagnetic radiation and plasma of space seeped into his body.

For a zombified Quasar, even the near-absolute zero temperature of outer space proved fatal.

Before he could make another move, his entire body froze solid, every cell and droplet of blood turned to ice.

"The Quantum Bracelet isn't meant to be used like this."

Alex sighed softly as the energy surrounding him shattered Quasar's body into countless fragments.

With a frown, Alex shifted his gaze toward Quasar's severed arms, which, despite the destruction of the body, still controlled the Quantum Bracelet.

As Alex stood in deep thought, a voice—ancient and resonant as if echoing from the dawn of time—broke the silence.

"It seems like you've fully taken control of the situation."

Without turning, Alex already knew the identity of the speaker.

"You've already seen for yourself, haven't you?"

"In truth, I haven't had the chance to 'see.'"

Raising an eyebrow, Alex turned his head, his gaze landing on the Watcher, whose presence loomed tall and imposing. A subtle burn mark marred the edge of the Watcher's sleeve—hardly noticeable, yet glaringly out of place on an entity as pristine as this.

"What's it like breaking your oath?" Alex quipped.

"..."

The Watcher hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words. After a pause, it exhaled audibly, shaking its head.

"Pym exploited the stasis effects of the zombie virus, using numerous brilliant minds to decode my fortress. In the past, I wouldn't have cared; as you know, Spider-Man and Sandman would resolve the chaos, restoring the cycle endlessly.

But now things are different. Ever since corruption disappeared from this world, everything has changed. I couldn't allow him to breach the Watcher's gate. You understand the catastrophic consequences that would bring."

"Sure, sure. I get it."

Alex waved dismissively, clearly indifferent to the Watcher's justifications. The Watcher's kind was notorious for breaking their oaths, each time fabricating excuses to rationalize their actions.

Seeing Alex's nonchalance, the Watcher pressed on.

"I'm serious. My technology would allow him to open the gateway to the multiverse."

"That's not important."

Alex shook his head slightly, showing no interest in the Watcher's concerns. Instead, he returned his attention to the Quantum Bracelet and Quasar's severed arms.

"Not important? Then what is?"

The Watcher leaned closer, its towering form looming over Alex like an adult over a child.

Pressing his lips together, Alex spoke softly, almost to himself.

"I'm wondering what corruption truly is. What it signifies for the multiverse..."

The Watcher fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. It wanted to offer some insightful information or constructive advice, but in the end, it could only shake its head in frustration.

"I wish I could provide valuable intelligence or meaningful suggestions, but the truth is, our understanding of corruption is far too limited. We can't even conduct effective research on it."

"Don't you find it strange?" Alex suddenly asked.

"Strange? What do you mean?"

The Watcher's glowing eyes blinked curiously.

"When corruption existed, Spider-Man overcame the hunger caused by the zombie virus. But now that corruption is gone, Spider-Man has completely succumbed, becoming a mindless, flesh-eating zombie.

From the moment the zombie virus broke out—even before your intervention—everyone across the two universes became like puppets on strings. Even when they regained their reasoning, their words and actions remained bizarre, like mindless fools."

"Corruption's primary effects involve altering perception and twisting reality. In a corrupted universe, nothing is truly surprising."

"That's true. But look at this."

Alex extended his hand, gesturing toward the severed arms and the Quantum Bracelet, which continued to writhe and twist unnaturally.

The Watcher observed closely for a while but failed to notice anything unusual.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Tch, even in the Wasteland, there's a Quantum Bracelet—it's part of Mister Fantastic's collection, a powerful artifact. But this one... even when Quasar used it earlier, it didn't display the traits of an artifact."

"When corruption descended, the great entities turned their focus elsewhere. Without a source of energy, the Quantum Bracelet naturally couldn't function properly. That's not particularly strange, especially considering this universe's relatively low dimensional standing."

"No, no, no. That's not my point."

Alex interrupted the Watcher.

"Don't you think everything has become... more 'real' since corruption disappeared?"

Turning to face the Watcher, Alex locked eyes with it and continued.

"This universe's Quantum Bracelet should've become a worthless hunk of metal long ago. Yet Quasar still used it to massacre an entire universe.

Moreover, according to the zombie virus's initial pattern, once zombies were sated, they would lose their hunger, regain their intelligence, and even abandon their craving for flesh over time.

But now, here? I haven't seen any sign of the Zombie Alliance losing their hunger. They're like true zombies, constantly scheming how to devour more flesh.

Even Spider-Man—can you imagine? A person who spent half his life eating human flesh suddenly regains his sanity and decides to end it all? That should be impossible."

The Watcher listened silently, its glowing eyes narrowing slightly as doubt crept into its expression.

"You're suggesting that corruption created Spider-Man's willpower? That with corruption gone, they've returned to their original state?"

"No."

Alex's voice was calm but carried a weight that filled the void.

"What I'm saying is, corruption gave them power.

A power capable of manipulating the minds of heroes.

A power from a higher dimension, capable of even replacing Eon to recharge the Quantum Bracelet."

.....

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