Chapter 354: The Star Devourer Approaches

As one of the five primordial creators of the universe, the Star Devourer differs fundamentally from the other four, who have remained perpetually robust.

His strength fluctuates wildly, being incredibly inconsistent and entirely dependent on his level of satiation.

Only a well-fed Star Devourer possesses the invincible strength that matches his status. However, throughout Marvel history, this formidable planet eater seems never to have been fully satiated, perpetually suffering from malnutrition and thus rarely able to utilize even a fraction of his full capabilities.

This results in his extremely unstable power, relegating him to a mere unit of measurement within the Marvel universe.

At his strongest, he effortlessly demolishes teams of celestial beings as if it were nothing; at his weakest, just about anyone can step up to challenge him.

The Fantastic Four, in particular, have often taken advantage of his weaker state.

Yet, as one of the cosmic primordial beings, the Star Devourer holds not only ultimate power but also an ultimate responsibility.

His duty is to devour planets that have lost their vitality, transforming them back into raw energy to replenish the universe, serving a role akin to the universe's digestive system—a position of immense importance.

Just as a single-celled universe without death would be catastrophic, a universe without the Star Devourer would be equally disastrous.

However, today, Clark is more concerned about the current strength of Uncle Star. Can he take this opportunity to challenge him?

If his power is currently weak, perhaps beating him up and scaring him away from Earth might just work.

Hmm, that sounds like a plan.

Unsure if Silver Surfer has seen through Clark's malicious intent, he wordlessly thrusts his hands forward, channeling a powerful energy from his silver board straight into his body, then launching it directly at Clark.

Silver Surfer, having lost his memory, sense of good and evil, and moral compass upon becoming the Herald of Star Devourer, retains a keen sense of malice.

To pose a threat to Clark himself, the Star Devourer would need to appear; a mere Silver Surfer is not qualified. Facing the attack, Clark casually waves his hand, his divine power sweeping the assault off into the stratosphere.

Meanwhile, Mindy is already eager to fight. Seeing the opponent attack without speaking, her legs clamp onto the sides of her eight-legged steed, which instantly dashes toward Silver Surfer, her spear aiming straight for his heart.

A flicker of cold light arrives first, her spear thrusting forward like a dragon!

Silver Surfer, a warrior stripped of all emotion, shows no surprise or dismay and immediately counters Mindy.

Despite Mindy inheriting Clark's formidable martial skills, along with the Spear of Eternity and the eight-legged steed among other powers, she can only slightly outperform Silver Surfer, making a quick victory impossible.

As the battle rages on, the surrounding seas are increasingly damaged, and countless marine lives perish due to the clash of their formidable forces. While the death of some marine life isn't catastrophic, as the ocean is vast and new life can emerge in time, what truly concerns Clark is the damage extending to the seabed below. If they continue to fight here, the scale of potential disaster is unimaginable.

In movies, Earth seems resilient to tumultuous battles, quickly recovering as if nothing had happened. But in reality, Clark isn't willing to take such a gamble.

As Mindy and Silver Surfer's battle intensifies, Clark abruptly waves his hand, channeling a powerful spatial energy that transports them, including himself, into the stratosphere.

The sudden shift in the battlefield catches the combatants off-guard. Stopping their attacks, they both turn to look at Clark.

"If you continue fighting like this, Earth might not be able to handle it," Clark says, his gaze falling calmly on Silver Surfer.

Feeling the restraint of Clark's divine power, Silver Surfer finds himself immobilized, unable to move.

He tries to harness the power within his board to break free, but while he can still summon the divine power granted by the Star Devourer, he is unable to overcome the constraints set by Clark's seemingly effortless spell.

After demonstrating his power, Clark speaks calmly, "Go back and tell the Star Devourer that Earth is off limits for him."

With that, Clark releases the divine power restraining Silver Surfer.

Once free, Silver Surfer hesitates before speaking, "I will relay your message to the Star Devourer, but I cannot influence his decisions."

Nodding, Clark responds calmly, "Then let him decide for himself. You may go."

Watching Silver Surfer disappear into the horizon as a silver streak, Mindy turns to Clark and asks, "Clark, are you really okay with just letting him go? Aren't you worried about letting the tiger return to the mountain?"

Clark shakes his head, "Neither Silver Surfer nor the Star Dev

ourer are inherently evil. If possible, I really wouldn't want to confront them in battle. At least, I don't plan on taking their lives."

Mindy's eyes sparkle, "Has Clark's power surpassed that of the five primordial creators?"

Clark can only smile wryly, "My strength is still far from that of the cosmic primordial beings. The Star Devourer is a unique case among them; I believe I stand a chance against him and possibly could even win."

He pauses, then adds, "But we can't place all our hopes on the enemy's attitude. Once we return, we'll gather all our forces. While I'm reluctant to be their enemy, we must also prepare adequately for battle."

With that, he uses his teleportation ability to return with Mindy to the Avengers headquarters.

Sharpen the scissors and the kitchen knife—the Avengers assemble!

"Star Devourer," Tony frowns upon hearing this name from Clark for the first time, "Can this guy really devour planets?"

Clark nods, "That's just his regular operation. That's what he does."

Captain America chuckles, "Maybe my imagination isn't rich enough, but I can't picture a creature that eats planets."

"It's not about size," Clark explains patiently, "He can devour planets, which is a rule-level power. To give an inappropriate analogy, the first time I entered the quantum realm, a tardigrade could have easily eaten me. Of course, that's just a metaphor; the Star Devourer's abilities have nothing to do with quantum mechanics."

Hank Pym then asks the question on everyone's mind, "Clark, what are you planning to do about this Star Devourer?"

"Of course, we need to keep him away from Earth," Mindy speaks up before Clark can answer, having learned some details beforehand. "I've already clashed briefly with his herald, the Silver Surfer. Clark said Earth simply can't withstand such a collision. To avoid damaging Earth, we must take the battle into space."

Taking the universe as their battlefield?

Everyone present is understandably shocked; for these Earth-bound heroes, the idea of fighting in space, although they've witnessed such battles as bystanders, is daunting when considering their own involvement.

As everyone ponders, Clark drops another bombshell, "As far as I know, the Star Devourer has four heralds. The Silver Surfer who appeared earlier is just the vanguard. While not the weakest, he's certainly not the strongest. The Star Devourer himself is far more powerful than these four!"

Hearing this, everyone inhales sharply.

So, facing a formidable enemy like the Silver Surfer, the Avengers are expected to confront four of them simultaneously!

The thought of facing such a challenging opponent is daunting indeed!

As for the even more powerful Star Devourer, they are not overly concerned. From Clark's tone, it's clear he intends to handle this biggest threat personally.

Of course, this is based on the assumption that negotiations fail.

But like Clark, they are not willing to depend on another's whims to ensure Earth's safety.

To protect Earth, they need enough power to deter enemies from easily provoking a conflict!

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