Chapter 369: Mr. Marvel's Wedding—Disaster is Inevitable!

It turns out that just a moment ago, Clark was enduring Daisy's flirtatious dancing and teasing, when he suddenly detected an energy both familiar and foreign. Seizing the moment while everyone was reveling, he slipped into the Baxter Building.

He found the energy familiar because it contained Dormammu's dark magic and the power of the Phoenix, both of which Clark had encountered numerous times before.

However, what was unfamiliar to him was the merger of these two forces; though he had fought against both separately, he had never seen them combined.

It seemed that Cassilius was meticulous in his planning. He not only earned the recognition of the Phoenix Force and successfully absorbed it, gaining a terrifying power far beyond his previous capabilities, but he also managed not to lose his mind due to the sudden surge in power.

Instead, he was very cautious, knowing well that even with the powers of darkness and the Phoenix, he was no match for Clark. Hence, he did not seek a grand confrontation but quietly infiltrated the Baxter Building to cause trouble secretly.

Clark was quite satisfied with this and decided to let things take their course.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Mr. Marvel and Invisible Woman's wedding was destined to be disrupted by unforeseen events.

Facing Daisy's probing gaze, Clark smiled slightly, "This dance feels very precious to me, and I wouldn't want it interrupted by anything."

Daisy blushed at his words, "You really are a jerk. What makes me angriest is that it took you so many years to finally be a jerk to me... that's just too much..."

The music continued, and Clark and Daisy once again stole the spotlight from Mr. Marvel in the dance floor center.

As the music ended, Mr. Marvel, having had his spotlight stolen twice, finally could no longer restrain himself. With his bride in tow, he approached Clark with a serious expression, "Mr. Clark, your dancing is quite impressive."

Clark nodded and graciously accepted the compliment, then casually asked, "Mr. Reed, you must have more than just praise on your mind in seeking me out."

Mr. Marvel, generous in spirit, certainly didn't come with his wife to protest over a stolen spotlight. Glancing at his wife, Reed spoke up, "During a scientific experiment, Susan was hit by energy from a parallel universe. I've done some checks and found an unknown energy within her."

"Mr. Clark," Reed said earnestly, "with your vast knowledge, could you help check if there's anything hidden in Susan's condition?"

Clark looked sympathetically at the blissfully unaware Invisible Woman, difficult as it was being Mr. Marvel's wife.

Nodding, Clark said simply, "Give me your hand."

"Okay," Invisible Woman said obediently, extending her right hand, though Clark frowned, "You're offering me the back of your hand—were you expecting me to kiss it? That's Mr. Reed's job! Just turn it over… no need to turn around."

After Invisible Woman turned her wrist over in confusion, Clark grasped her pulse. A stream of his avenging spirit force mingled with psychic power flowed into her, and Clark naturally squinted his eyes, assuming the guise of a mystic.

A moment later, Clark shook his head slightly, "No worries, it's just that your child has been affected by energy from a parallel universe, possessing the X-gene and will become a mutant."

"Mutant?" The word, completely foreign to the Reeds, made them tense, with Invisible Woman anxiously asking, "What's that?"

Clark reassured them with a wave, "Relax. Mutants are still humans, just humans with abilities beyond ordinary ones, much like yourselves. The difference is, your future child will be born with these abilities."

The couple still looked melancholic; if given the choice, they'd prefer their child to be normal, inheriting only Reed's brilliant mind rather than superpowers.

Many wish to flaunt as superheroes admired by all, yet few parents want their child to battle super villains in life-and-death struggles.

And among the Fantastic Four, wasn't there the tragic figure of the Thing? Who could guarantee their child wouldn't pay a heavy, unimaginable price for their powers?

While the couple was worried, an urgent alarm suddenly blared through the surround sound speakers, "Beep! Beep! Beep!... Intruder in the secret lab, defense system compromised... Beep! Beep! Beep!... Enemy has breached the lab..."

The abrupt alarm immediately drew everyone's attention. Mr. Marvel, shocked, exclaimed, "No! There's an unfinished device in my lab, and the enemy is after that!" He dashed towards the Baxter Building, followed by the other attending superheroes, while Clark, this time not stealing the spotlight, calmly followed with Daisy, Wanda, and others into the building.

Upon reaching the lab, they found

 it already empty except for a door burned open by the Phoenix Force, large enough for a person to pass through.

Clark immediately extended his psychic powers, covering the entire Earth, though it was clear that after obtaining what they wanted, the culprits had already left the planet.

"Good heavens!" Seeing the ravaged lab, Mr. Marvel couldn't help but cry out, "Who could tell me who took my device, and where have they taken it?"

Clark looked calmly at Reed, "For the sake of Earth's peace, I hope you refrain from dangerous research in the future. If you must continue, at least make a report at the Avengers' headquarters so everyone can assess the risk, which is a responsible approach to science."

Seeing Reed's ashamed look, Clark waved his hand, "I think I know where they might be headed. You continue with today's wedding."

"The rest, leave to me."

As Clark was about to leave to handle the situation, Daisy suddenly spoke up, "I want to go with you."

"That's fine." Nodding, Clark activated his space powers, transporting him and Daisy away from the Baxter Building to a desolate, dimly lit planet.

Surprised by the eerie surroundings, Daisy frowned, "Where is this?"

"Svartalfheim, one of the Nine Realms belonging to the Dark Elves. But Thor, his grandfather, and I have eradicated the Dark Elves, so now it's truly a barren planet," Clark explained as they soared up, "Follow me."

As he spoke, Clark transformed into a streak of light, speeding in a particular direction with Daisy quickly following. Despite her impressive sub-light speed, Clark's was many times faster.

To accommodate Daisy, however, he restrained his speed to about ten times the speed of sound.

The two circled half of Svartalfheim from their landing point, and twenty minutes later, they reached their destination.

Amid the desolate hills, signs of a great battle Clark had once fought against Malekith were still visible. On this battered land, a special energy device had been activated, opening a portal to a parallel universe.

Standing before this massive, irregular-shaped machine, Cassilius, wreathed in dark energy and Phoenix Force, smiled at the arriving pair. Suddenly, he burst into flames of dark and fiery energy, boldly taunting, "Clark, you're too late. The spatial coordinates are set, and my master will devour this universe!"

Feeling the faint presence of dark energy from the space vortex, Clark nodded satisfactorily and calmly responded to Cassilius, "Well done, but you're no longer needed."

Cassilius: ???

Receiving +999 impression points from Cassilius!

Seeing that I've bridged the parallel universes, allowing my master's dark energy to seep through to this universe, shouldn't your expression be one of anger, shock, frustration, and helplessness?

Shouldn't you be beating your chest, wishing you could tear me apart?

What's with this relieved expression now that my task is complete?

I'm not carrying out your orders!

My mission is to assist my master Dormammu in invading this universe, to consume it—that's supposed to set you against me, you know?

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