Just when Ikaris was questioning the meaning of life...
The smoke and dust overhead were blown away by a gust of wind.
Luca hovered silently above the hole, looking down at him.
"You're already panting, Smurf?"
Luca shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment.
"It can fly, it can shoot lasers, and its strength is passable..."
"I thought I'd finally met a decent colleague today, someone who could give me a chance to stretch my muscles."
"After all that fighting, all you did was tickle me?"
"Did your Arishem cut corners when they manufactured you?"
"The quality of your knock-off Superman isn't much better than the canned goods made by Hammer Industries."
"How dare you insult Arishem!!!"
Luca may insult Ikaris, but he must never insult Arishem, the supreme god in his heart!
This sarcastic remark touched a nerve with Ikaris!
"Human! I want you dead!!!"
Ikaris let out a hysterical roar.
Ignoring the excruciating pain of his fractured bones, he then forcibly pushed himself to the limit, pushing his energy levels to the limit!
Buzz!!!
His entire body shone with dazzling golden light, transforming him into a miniature sun!
Immediately afterwards, Ikaris soared into the sky.
But this time, he didn't foolishly try to fight Luca.
Instead, the instant he reached Luca, he grabbed Luca's shoulders tightly!
At the same time, his eyes, burning with fierce flames, were less than ten centimeters away from Luca's face!
"Since your suit can absorb energy, then I'll see if a head without the suit's protection can withstand it!"
Ikaris's face contorted in a ferocious grimace as he concentrated all his energy into his eyes.
Then he unleashed his strongest Cosmic Rays in seven thousand years at Luca!
In this attack, Ikaris risked his life!
The beam of light was so thick that it completely engulfed Luca's head.
In the base's command center, Sersi saw this scene and screamed in fright.
"No!!!"
Wanda and Gwen Stacy also suffered cardiac arrest.
To be exposed to that level of radiation at point-blank range on your face?!
However.
Luca, standing at the center of the beam of light, remained remarkably calm.
No protective suit?
Sorry, the suit is just for showing off and providing extra boosts; absorbing energy is an ability I already possess.
What's truly formidable about Luca Stark is his infinitely evolving physical body!
"You want to compete with me in eye exercises, huh?"
In the blinding golden light, Luca's mocking voice reached Ikaris's ears.
Ikaris was horrified to discover this.
His energy only caused a few stray hairs on Luca's forehead to bounce back!
Immediately afterwards, a faint force field appeared on the surface of the other person's skin.
Meanwhile, his own violent Cosmic Rays were being rapidly absorbed by the other side!
"It's only polite to reciprocate. Since you've drunk so much lemonade, I'll treat you to Stark Industries lasers."
Luca grinned.
The next second, his eyes widened suddenly!
boom!!!
Two beams of destructive light, each a different color, burst forth from Luca's eyes!
"Sizzle!!!"
As soon as Luca's four-color rays appeared, they instantly cleaved the energy shot out by Ikaris.
Ikaris's crazed expression instantly turned to fear!
He tried to let go and back away, tried to close his eyes, but it was too late!!
The four-colored rays struck Ikaris squarely in the face and chest!
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
Desperate screams echoed through the Manhattan sky!
Ikaris's armor disintegrated instantly upon contact with the ray imbued with Chaos Magic!
The terrifying energy pierced through the opponent's protective divine power, burning a large crater in his chest.
"Boom!!!"
The four-colored beams of light propelled Ikaris through the sky, leaving a long trail.
It then traveled over the rolling waves from the sky above Manhattan, finally crashing into a plaza at the Justice League base.
The earth trembled violently!
The base looked as if it had been hit by an earthquake, with towering waves crashing against the breakwater!
Soon, the breathtaking four-colored beams of light in the sky slowly dissipated.
A large crater appeared in the square.
The very bottom of the deep pit.
Ikaris lay there quietly.
Most of his armor had disappeared, revealing a mechanical and flesh-and-blood structure that shimmered with a faint golden light inside.
His limbs were twisted, his eyes were blackened, and blood was gushing from his mouth.
A black streak of light flashed across the sky.
Luca's battle suit quietly retreated back into his body.
He then landed lightly on the edge of the pit, looking down at the half-dead Ikaris.
The base's defensive gates all around were opened.
Peter, Pietro, Gwen Stacy, Wanda, Frank, Matt, and Sersi, whose face was ashen, all ran to the edge of the square.
The crowd gathered around the large pit, which was still emitting blue smoke, and they were all utterly horrified.
Nick Fury and Coulson stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the command room, watching through binoculars.
They witnessed firsthand that laser beam that had turned the sky into four colors.
" Ikaris..."
Sersi rushed to the edge of the pit, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
Her premonition came true.
No, reality was even crueler than she had predicted.
Before Luca Stark, even the Eternals... no longer seemed to possess any special privileges.
Luca jumped into the deep pit, walked up to Ikaris, and squatted down.
Ikaris sensed Luca's approach.
But due to the severity of his injuries, he struggled to open his slowly healing eyes a crack.
"You... what... are you...? Arishem... won't let you get away with this..."
"Even now, you're still threatening me with your boss?"
Luca chuckled and patted Ikaris's damaged chest.
Through his heightened senses and the feedback from the energy clash just now, Luca had already seen something.
"So you're not living beings at all, but a bunch of robots."
Luca pointed to Ikaris's core, which was slowly drawing Cosmic Energy to repair itself.
"What an ingenious design. Cosmic Energy reactor with its own perpetual motion machine, and the purity of this energy is extremely high. I really like it."
"Killing you would be a waste, and it would probably trigger some kind of death alarm from your boss."
Luca stood up and waved to Frank and Happy, who were standing by the pit.
"Bring us our newly crafted chains, and insert an energy extractor into his chest."
"Drag this guy into the lab and lock him next to Bucky in cell number five."
Luca dusted off his hands and laughed heartily.
"From today onwards, he is our base's second humanoid battery."
"Drain him dry as soon as he recovers even a little energy, 24/7. Let's see how much electricity he can provide."
Upon hearing these words, Ikaris convulsed with rage, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fainted completely.
Meanwhile, Sersi, kneeling by the pit, heard that Luca had actually seen through the true nature of the Eternals.
And you also have to lock up Ikaris like a power bank.
She was terrified, her body turned ice-cold, and she didn't know what to do.
Luca leaped up from the bottom of the pit and landed steadily in front of Sersi.
Then, his gentlemanly smile reappeared, and he thoughtfully handed over a tissue.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Sersi, I'm sorry to have startled you."
"Your friend has a really bad temper. He was ready to fight right away, so I could only act in self-defense and calm him down a little."
Luca crouched down, looking directly into Sersi's fearful and helpless eyes.
"Look, I didn't kill him, and I even arranged a private room for him with room and board included. I've been so sincere, so now..."
Luca's eyes suddenly became as deep as an abyss.
"In exchange, shouldn't you also be frank with me and have a proper chat about how many of your Eternals are still on Earth, and... what exactly is going on with that guy named Tiamut on Earth?"
Sersi sighed.
She knew it from the moment Ikaris fell.
The secret that the Eternals had kept for seven thousand years could no longer be concealed.
To save Ikaris's life, and also for the human civilization she truly loved deep in her heart.
Sersi closed her eyes and lowered her head in despair and submission.
"I... I'll tell you everything, Luca. I just beg you... don't kill them."
"That depends on whether your intelligence is worth the price, beautiful lady."
Luca stood up with satisfaction, the corners of his mouth curving into an even more arrogant smile.
"Let's go back to the conference room. Today has been a very fruitful day."