Unable to resist head-on, Clark strategically shifted position, using the Space Stone to momentarily avoid Grandmaster's fierce attack.
"Boom!"
Under the assault of Grandmaster's five energy beams, the spot where Clark stood exploded into a massive mushroom cloud. The nearby Sakaarian warriors couldn't escape the devastation, and even Daisy was caught in the blast, looking utterly disheveled.
Then, suddenly, the sky dimmed.
It turned out that countless pieces of scrap metal in the junkyard had been melted into sharp swords and blades, covering the sky and plunging the area into a sword rain. Amidst this, the figure of Ares floated, blood at the corner of his mouth, his clothes tattered – a clear sign that Grandmaster's energy blast had inflicted serious damage.
"Grandmaster, you bastard, you imprisoned me for so long with despicable means and still refuse to let me go. Fine, I'll fight you to the end!" Ares, filled with boundless rage, controlled the numerous swords, launching a storm-like assault towards Grandmaster.
Despite the dense and terrifying attack, Clark had to be cautious, but Grandmaster showed a mad smile. He stepped forward, accomplishing a space jump without any external aid, appearing right in front of Ares and pressed his palms against his torso.
In the next moment, a violent energy burst forth at close range.
The Greek god Ares was blasted away, blood spraying wildly as he crashed into the ruins of the Champion's building, his fate unknown!
Indeed, Grandmaster was a cunning fox, always appearing unassuming, like a jester.
But once unleashed, he exhibited such terrifying power that even a warrior like Ares couldn't withstand his full blow.
This old man, cunning and full of hidden tactics!
Seeing Grandmaster seriously injure Ares and then turn his mad gaze towards himself, Clark thought of the Joker, the arch-nemesis of the hero next door.
Sighing, Clark spoke, "I didn't want to use my last resort, but since you've shown such strength, I can't hold back anymore."
With a snap of his fingers, the Prelude of the Knife Society played once again on desolate Sakaar.
As the stirring music filled the air, Clark's aura suddenly skyrocketed, breaking through from the mid-Sub-Celestial Father stage to late stage, peak, and then to the perfection of Sub-Celestial Father, approaching the true Celestial Father level.
Transforming Mjölnir back into a staff, Clark mockingly said to the equally crazed Grandmaster, "You are indeed stronger than the Champion. But in a direct fight, I would still bet on the Champion winning. Do you know why?"
Grandmaster responded with a silent smile and quickly appeared in front of Clark.
Before he could strike, Clark's staff shot up, hitting Grandmaster between the legs.
Grandmaster, displaying a disdainful smirk, tried to use a space jump to shift his position but found the Space Stone on Clark's staff brightly lit, locking the surrounding space and thwarting his skill.
The result of this failed attempt was a painful "Boom!" and a howl from Grandmaster.
"Because you, who organize arena battles, have created powerful techniques. However, you rarely engage in combat yourself, leading to degraded fighting capabilities," Clark continued, relentlessly attacking Grandmaster and using the Space Stone to block his spatial abilities. He beat Grandmaster out of the atmosphere, just like he did with the Champion.
Even though this wouldn't kill Grandmaster, the continuous, intense attacks depleted his energy. Even as a Cosmic Elder, he would need time to recover.
By the end of the Prelude of the Knife Society, Grandmaster was utterly defeated and helpless.
But achieving this state came at a cost – Clark also entered a weakened state due to the backlash of his abilities. Yet, compared to his fight with the Champion, he was much stronger.
Seeing Clark's attacks cease, Grandmaster sneered, "You might surpass me temporarily, but you still can't kill me. I am immortal. One day, I'll make you regret opposing me."
"It was you who ambushed me first!" Clark frowned but shook his head, "Why waste words on a dying man?"
Approaching Grandmaster, Clark used the Space Stone to bind him. As another BGM started, Grandmaster's body began to lose sensation, his face transforming from calm and crazed to shocked and terrified, "What have you done to me, you bastard! Stop it! Now!"
Clark coldly smiled, "I'm killing you. Didn't I say so?"
Ignoring Grandmaster's screams, Clark controlled the Space Stone to prevent any tricks.
As the music played on, Grandmaster's voice faded until he disappeared entirely.
Then, like Hephaestus before, Grandmaster was refined into an eyeball by Clark, becoming part of his body.
With Grandmaster's complete assimilation, overwhelming cosmic energy flowed into Clark, enhancing him from mid to late, to the peak of Sub-Celestial Father, nearly reaching the perfection level, just one step away from Celestial Father.
Now, Clark's own strength had surpassed even Thanos.
Indeed, the cosmic energy in these ancient beings far exceeded that of ordinary Eternals like Hephaestus, and even Thanos.
But further progress would require his own cultivation or more cosmic energy collection.
Using "You Are My Eyes" to refine beings into an external eyeball was like having an extra organ containing powerful energy. If this organ had more energy than the rest of his body, it would balance out, and vice versa.
Even refining another Cosmic Elder would offer a slight boost but reaching perfection was impossible with two imperfect beings.
Unless refining a Celestial Father?
Shaking off this impractical thought, Clark stored the Eye of Grandmaster in his personal space and returned to the Sakaar battlefield.
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