Chapter 373: Goddess
Upon hearing Zane's command, Lorna didn't hesitate and acted immediately.
A square, transparent glass-like cube, with faint flickering light clusters inside, emerged from above Lorna's head.
The cube then expanded tens of thousands of times, floating above the aging star.
As soon as the cube appeared, six beams of light, each a different color, shot out from the Infinity Gauntlet and poured into it.
The cube radiated a dazzling, satin-like brilliance, weaving vibrant rainbow hues.
Each beam of light resembled a broad, flowing ribbon, or perhaps a rainbow bridge, connecting to one of the six surrounding planets.
In the next instant, the six planets were rapidly drawn toward the glowing cube above the star.
The planets began to tremble violently as their crusts fractured into powder, gradually exposing their glowing planetary cores.
When all six planets were close enough to be clearly visible, they were instantly absorbed into the transparent cube released by Lorna.
The cube, radiating six vibrant colors, spun like a grinder, breaking the scorching planetary cores into streams of molten energy.
The molten core material gradually coalesced into an enormous key.
The key, resembling a sharp sword, pierced into the aging star, rotating incessantly.
"So, it's not just the Celestial Searcher Eson who was part of the Key. The six Infinity Stones are also critical elements to summon the key," Zane murmured thoughtfully.
At that moment, the radiant key above the star began to lose momentum, spinning slower and slower.
The six glowing colors—red, orange, blue, green, purple, and yellow—dimmed alongside it.
"Right, the Infinity Stones on Lorna's gauntlet only replicate a portion of the energy from my Magic Furnace," Zane remarked, analyzing the situation. "So they're essentially incomplete."
Realizing the issue, Zane immediately channeled his internal energy, attempting to release the full power of the Infinity Stones within the Magic Furnace.
Moments later, six radiant beams identical to those from the Infinity Gauntlet erupted from Zane's body, though these were denser and more resplendent.
The six beams surged into the radiant key above the star.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The key, which had been slowing down, suddenly accelerated like a high-powered engine, spinning with wild intensity.
On the dimming star, a vibrant vortex of multicolored light swirled fiercely.
Whoosh!
A blinding light burst out from the star, so dazzling that Zane and the others couldn't keep their eyes open.
When their vision cleared, they found themselves no longer in the dark expanse of space.
Instead, they stood within a medium-sized barrier surrounded by flickering flames of light.
"Is this Atlantheia?" Lorna asked, glancing first at Roma, then at Zane.
Zane pondered for a moment before voicing his own confusion.
"If this is Atlantheia, why is it so small? Isn't it supposed to be a pocket universe?"
Roma scanned their surroundings and, after a brief moment of thought, replied,
"This is likely the interior of the star we were just near. The remnants of Atlantheia energy might have been consumed over billions of years, collapsing into that dying star."
Swish!
At that moment, something none of the three had noticed came into view ahead—a waist-high stone pedestal.
Above it floated a deep crimson gem, about the size of a fist, glowing ominously.
The gem's shape bore some resemblance to the six Infinity Stones, but it was larger, even surpassing the size of the largest among them—the Soul Stone.
Suspended in the air at the forefront of the barrier, the gem inexplicably began to generate a massive vortex.
The vortex's force shook the surrounding intangible boundaries, causing them to sway and ripple.
Boom!
In an instant, the barrier shattered like a glass window struck by a powerful sonic blast, breaking into countless fragments.
Immediately, Zane and the others felt a wave of dizziness as the scene shifted, and they found themselves once again in the vast, empty void of space.
Before their eyes, the decaying star they had seen moments earlier erupted with torrents of wild energy.
Before they could fully steady themselves, the star abruptly collapsed, shrinking into a pinpoint of light that was swiftly absorbed into the deep crimson gem floating before them.
Then, a blinding flash of light engulfed all three of them, rendering everything around them indistinguishable.
Amid the dazzling light, a voice rang out—ethereal, commanding, and filled with an overwhelming sense of power:
"Who dares to wake me from my slumber?"
The voice carried an almost magical resonance that seemed to grip the hearts of Zane and the others, making them beat in rhythm with its cadence.
Zane was the first to recover. With his [Mangekyō Sharingan] spinning in his eyes, he peered into the light and discerned the towering silhouette of a woman.
"Is that the Goddess of Vengeance?" Zane murmured under his breath.
As Zane regained clarity, Roma and Lorna also recovered their vision.
The three of them looked up, beholding the colossal, radiant figure of the Goddess of Vengeance.
She was clad in armor that covered her imposing figure, emanating an aura of primal ferocity and boundless battle spirit.
Atop her head was a crown set with an enormous gem—the same deep crimson gem they had seen earlier, now magnified countless times.
Zane realized this was the tallest being he had encountered in the Marvel universe, even surpassing Arishem by nearly double.
He roughly estimated her height to be around 2,000 meters.
As Roma stood in awe of the goddess, a sudden realization jolted her. She quickly conjured a transparent crystal sphere using magic.
With a glowing spell sigil, she imprinted it onto the sphere.
The sphere's countless facets began to project tiny, blurry images, each about the size of a small tile.
Roma extended her hand, placing it atop the sphere.
The images dissolved into a swirling light that was absorbed into her palm.
Roma's eyes rolled back momentarily, gleaming with a trance-like brilliance.
She murmured, "The entire Omniversal Universe is being affected simultaneously."
"And yet, not a single star or object has been harmed by this power."
"What kind of force is this? Could it be a power beyond even the Omnipotent level?"
"Beyond the Omnipotent level? Like entities such as OAA?"
Hearing Roma's words, Zane silently echoed her thoughts, contemplating the implications.
As the three of them studied the Goddess of Vengeance, the goddess herself scrutinized them in return.
Whoosh!
An invisible yet irresistible force lifted the trio into the air, bringing them to eye level with the goddess.
Up close, they could clearly see the intricate details of her features, and the deep crimson gem atop her crown shone brilliantly, casting its light over the three of them.
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