Chapter 311: The Life Tribunal

"I'm not afraid to tell you the truth—I have three of such stones!"

With a bold declaration, Clark's eyes suddenly emitted two beams of purple energy, shooting directly into Malekith's eyes.

Receiving +1000 impression points from Malekith!

This time, the power of the ether particles was firmly suppressed by the Space and Soul Stones, leaving Malekith unable to use the Reality Stone's power to alter reality and save himself. As the beams of light, concentrated with Clark's divine power, pierced through his skull, the era of this Dark Elf leader came to an end.

Gone without a trace!

With Malekith's death, the ether particles became ownerless. Possessing two Infinity Stones and having already merged with the Power Stone, Clark undoubtedly became more attractive to them. Without any need for summons, the liquid form of the ether particles automatically flowed out from Malekith's body towards Clark.

Having already learned how to control the ether particles in the Well of Mimir, Clark simply gestured, and the free-form ether particles instantly gathered and condensed in his palm, eventually forming a gemstone glowing with a wine-red halo.

This was the true Reality Stone!

Casually placing the Reality Stone and the Soul Stone into the slots on the healing hand, Clark felt a unique energy coursing through his body.

However, the impact of this cosmic mystique on Clark had become negligible, and the burden it brought was similarly inconsequential.

After all, Clark had now perfectly merged with all the powers of the Power Stone!

For Clark, these cosmic treasures, difficult for mortals to wield, felt more like kin, closely bonded to him.

He had not previously set the Soul Stone into the healing hand because the embedding of Infinity Stones follows a strict order. It could either proceed from tangible to intangible, following the sequence of collection shown in the movies by Thanos—Power, Space, Reality, Soul, Time, Mind—or in reverse, specific to the individual. This order must not be disrupted, as it could significantly impact the use of the stones, where wielding three or four stones might not be as powerful as using just one.

Now that Clark had fully mastered the Reality Stone, the dark magic energy, having completely separated from the stone's power, emerged from Malekith's corpse and gathered above, forming an intangible, dark visage.

This face, covered in stripes much like Thanos' chin but actually belonging to a being far more terrifying than Thanos, was Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension and master of dark magic.

However, this was not Dormammu's true form with multiversal strength, but a manifestation formed from the residual cosmic energy in Malekith's body. Without a host, this manifestation couldn't withstand Clark, and it would dissipate on its own after a while.

Dormammu spoke coldly, undeterred by Clark's dismissive attitude: "You bastard, I didn't expect you to have grown so much. But even now, you're no match for me. It won't be long before I return, and when I do, I'll take back what's mine, with interest!"

"I'll be waiting for you!"

Clark waved off Dormammu's threat as if swatting a fly.

With a gesture, a wave of purple divine power flowed from his palm, effortlessly dissipating Dormammu's manifestation.

Then, Clark activated the powers of the Space and Reality Stones on his cloak, spreading this force throughout the surrounding space.

Malekith's actions had not been entirely in vain; he had opened a crack in the dimensional gate. Clark's task was now to seal this rift.

However, destruction is easy; construction is hard. Even with Clark's current strength, it took nearly a day and a night of hard work to merely seal the external crack, unable to address the many internal dangers.

Thor and the Equine Thunder God came to offer their help but were promptly sent away by Clark. Given his control over space, if he couldn't manage, how could they possibly help?

A day later, as the celestial bodies of the Nine Realms realigned and the surrounding space stabilized, Clark found no perfect solution to mend this flaw.

Faced with the now calm space, he could only sigh in frustration.

"The spatial rift has already appeared. To maintain the stability of the universe, the best solution is to restart the space-time of this region. The natural order will then return to its original state," an authoritative voice suddenly sounded behind Clark, who had no prior indication of its presence, nor could he sense when it had appeared behind him.

Turning around, Clark saw a three-meter-tall, shining figure with three heads. The central head calmly regarded him, as if seeking his opinion.

Upon seeing this being, Clark instinctively knew it was the Life Tribunal, a manager of the Marvel Multiverse with supreme authority.

The memory seemed irrational; Clark was sure he had never encountered the Life Tribunal before. Yet upon seeing it, he recognized it as a manifestation of the Life Tribunal in this material plane, undoubtedly not an impostor.

Yet, more than its identity, Clark was concerned about its proposal: "You want to restart the space-time of the Nine Realms?"

Clark believed it could easily do so.

Restarting a section of the universe was simpler and more convenient than rebooting a computer—more akin to restarting an application than the whole system.

"If you restart the Nine Realms, what about the billions of lives within?" Clark challenged.

The Life Tribunal, unperturbed by Clark's question, patiently explained, "They will be reborn and proliferate anew, reaching the current level of civilization in time. The universe is not lacking in time."

"Absolutely not!"

Clark's gaze hardened as he faced this supreme cosmic deity, prepared to use his trump card if the Tribunal insisted on restarting the Nine Realms. Such an act would render all beings to nothingness.

Would his friends return when civilization advanced to its current state again? Even if fate allowed it, would they still be the same individuals?

The Tribunal's proposal crossed a line for Clark, who was ready to confront it, even at the risk of his own life, to prevent such a tragedy.

"Reconsider." When the Life Tribunal saw Clark's refusal, it spoke again: "The spatial rift has appeared, and your rudimentary repairs will eventually fail, hastening the Dark Dimension's invasion to perhaps a ten-year delay at most, with only about five years of guaranteed safety."

"Five years?"

Clark frowned, then decisively responded, "Fine, five years. Within five years, I'll find a way to address the threat from the Dark Dimension. Is that acceptable?"

To prevent the universe's region from being restarted, Clark had to make a promise.

Given the Life Tribunal's conversational tone, it seemed to respect Clark. Although unsure why, it was evident Clark wasn't yet on equal footing with it. Thus, he didn't suggest the Tribunal repair the space itself, the best solution.

Clark knew he had to solve his own problems.

The same applies to gods.

The Life Tribunal nodded slightly in agreement: "Agreed. We set a five-year term. If you cannot resolve this threat by then, I will intervene and address the root cause."

"Reconsider, I hope you won't disappoint me."

Like the concept of the Trinity prevalent in Western culture, as the Vishanti comprises three powerful sorcerers merged into one deity, the Life Tribunal

 also has three independent consciousnesses, with its left and right heads being the Lords of Order and Chaos, respectively. They serve as assistants to the Tribunal, somewhat like secretaries.

Throughout the conversation, these 'secretaries' remained silent, almost invisible, well-behaved.

What does this mean?

Shaking his head, Clark stopped pondering this unanswered question, using the power of the Space Stone to return to Earth.

With the "Task of Passing the Flame" completed, he was now capable of merging another Infinity Stone, further enhancing his strength.

Moreover, there were many other tasks awaiting him, such as upgrading the Avengers' weapons, contacting Nebula, and—most urgently—developing a strategy to counter the threat from the Dark Dimension!

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