Chapter 328: Clark vs. Phoenix

With the Phoenix emerging, it was clear that the battle between Thanos and Thane had been decided.

Without the Phoenix Force, what could Thane possibly boast? Nothing!

The father-son showdown taught him a hard lesson through Thanos's actions.

Your father will always be your father!

Watching the Phoenix soar through the void, Clark's face finally showed a long-missing smile.

All he needed to do was wait a bit longer, and then he could teach Thanos the same lesson with his own fists.

Eliminating two scourges of the universe in one go—what could be better?

However, the Phoenix Force that had escaped the black hole suddenly changed direction, shooting towards their location. From its trajectory, it was clear that its ultimate target was... Daisy!

Clark's face, which had been calm, suddenly changed.

In the next moment, he had disappeared from his spot, appearing outside the spaceship. His right fist clenched, he stared down the rapidly approaching Phoenix Force and uttered sharply, "Back off!"

But the Phoenix, ever so proud, paid no heed to Clark's threat. It didn't alter its course and, even more provocatively, switched its target to Clark.

Beings like the Phoenix, with their multiversal level of power, typically lay dormant or chose hosts with exceptional potential to inhabit.

This was similar to how Clark had lent his divine power to little Spider, allowing his avatar to exist in another form.

Famous powers like the Phoenix Force or the dark energy within Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, followed this pattern.

Without a host, such forces are like rootless weeds, unable to fully manifest their might or bring any benefits to their original wielders.

Like the Phoenix with Thane as its host—it might be a weak host, yet it allowed the Phoenix to exert a significant degree of power, so much so that even Clark had to be cautious.

But now, without a host, the Phoenix Force posed no threat to Clark.

Such a Phoenix could be scattered by a mere mortal's punch, let alone by Clark in his current form.

As the Phoenix closed in, Clark simply extended his hand forward, his divine power surging out explosively to shatter the diving force of the Phoenix, turning it into a shower of fiery sparks.

Though Clark's power could disperse the Phoenix Force, eradicating it completely was no small feat.

The dispersed Phoenix Force reformed in the void, shooting towards Clark in rockets of flame, not to consume him but to attempt to possess him.

For the Phoenix, Clark's nearly perfect body was an ideal host. Unfortunately, while the Phoenix dreamed, Clark had no interest in harboring this foreign power.

As the Phoenix Force gathered momentum for another assault, Clark spread his hands wide, his divine energy manifesting as a massive palm that swept the fiery missiles away. The clash between the avenger's force and the Phoenix's was costly—damaging to the enemy but costly to Clark himself.

This war of attrition had no solution, and it seemed Clark would lose more.

But Clark was the avatar, able to replenish his divine power swiftly, whereas the true Phoenix was hidden somewhere in the multiverse, unable to affect this place directly.

The rootless power fragments of the Phoenix were dwindling—continuing this battle would only lead to their complete annihilation by Clark's avenging force.

The Phoenix Force before him was unlike the divine power Clark had left with little Spider, which could communicate and execute complex commands. This force was more akin to a basic instinctive drive, performing simple directives.

Yet even so, the Phoenix was still a Phoenix.

A multiversal entity's faint consciousness had an incredible sense of danger.

Just as it had fled from Thane when stripped by the Infinite Witches, it now chose not to confront Clark directly. Realizing it was unwelcome and unable to force possession, it switched targets back towards Daisy aboard the Heart of Clark spaceship.

It was fickle indeed.

"Go away!"

Clark had no interest in the Phoenix Force and certainly did not want Daisy to get involved. His divine energy condensed into a fist, and he struck the Phoenix as it dived towards the spaceship, scattering it once more.

With a piercing scream, the fragmented Phoenix Force split into five fiery streams, each darting off in different directions.

These fragments of the Phoenix Force, left unchecked in the universe, were a menace that needed to be eradicated.

Having understood the survival and destructive desires of the Phoenix after their recent encounter, Clark was no longer willing to let them roam free. With a thought, he chased down one of the fleeing flames, his divine power overwhelming like a vast ocean, enveloping and completely consuming the Phoenix fragment.

As he prepared to pursue the other flames, he noticed one of the five turning back midway and diving once more towards his spaceship.

Truly unrelenting.

With a scoff, Clark teleported back, intercepting the rebounding Phoenix Flame, "This path is closed!"

As he

 spread his divine energy, the fragmented Phoenix once again split into five, taking different paths in a hide-and-seek game around the Heart of Clark.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Clark murmured, "Is the Phoenix Force always this mischievous?"

Left with no choice, he continued the pursuit.

Determined to eliminate each fragment one by one while ensuring the absolute safety of the Heart of Clark, he embarked on a hunt for the scattered Phoenix Force.

Thus began a long chase, lasting over half an hour, before Clark managed to eradicate all five parts of this one fifth of the Phoenix Force.

Just as he was about to pursue the remaining flames, he discovered, much to his chagrin, that the remaining three streams had taken advantage of his distraction with the decoys to escape beyond his sensory range, vanishing into the vast universe.

What was this? A diversion? A strategic retreat?

Even as the Phoenix Force adopted a more strategic approach, playing games of strategy with a deity like Clark, there was little he could do.

Sighing, Clark teleported back inside the Heart of Clark, settling back into his command chair, and ordered, "No need to wait any longer, set course for home!"

As Nebula immediately started the engines in compliance, Daisy asked, slightly amused, "So, you're not going to take this opportunity to kill Thanos?"

Clark chuckled ruefully and shook his head, "While I was dealing with the Phoenix, I kept an eye on the black hole. But up till now, I haven't seen that purple fiend emerge."

"It seems he knows I would be waiting here and has deliberately stayed inside, biding his time or looking for another way out."

"And now, with the Phoenix Force scattering across the universe, it is a far greater threat than Thanos." As Nebula expertly navigated the ship home, Clark spoke with a hint of resignation, "I need to focus on further increasing my strength now, not waste time contending with Thanos here."

"I have a feeling that the three escaped Phoenix fragments will bring about a tremendous calamity!"

...

As a cosmic deity, although Clark was not of the mage type, he still possessed exceptional perceptive abilities, especially regarding troubles that could affect him personally, which made him particularly sensitive.

He had anticipated that the fleeing Phoenix Force would bring a significant crisis, potentially thrusting him into unprecedented peril. What he did not expect was for that trouble to arrive so suddenly and catch him off-guard.

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