Chapter 319: Clark vs. Thane, Death Intervenes!

The ten flames moved incredibly fast, almost at the same time Thane waved his hand, they passed through Clark's body at a terrifying speed faster than light, completely incinerating him! Seeing this, excitement finally appeared on Thane's face, but it immediately froze. Because...

The Clark that had been pierced by the flames turned into nothingness the next moment, as if he had never been there.

It turned out that from the beginning, what Thane's Phoenix Force had hit was not Clark's real body, but just an afterimage left behind by Clark's high-speed movement.

Despite Clark's extreme disdain for Thane's character, he had never underestimated the Phoenix Force. As soon as Thane raised his hand, before the Phoenix Force could even be released, Clark had already used his spatial abilities to teleport behind Thane, narrowly avoiding a fiery fate.

Seeing his own afterimage penetrated by the Phoenix Force, Clark also couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Thankfully, he had experience sparring with his aunt's faster-than-light attacks, otherwise, this blow might not have killed him, but it would have left him in a sorry state.

Feeling fortunate, Clark wrapped his divine power around his right fist and without hesitation, he threw a punch at Thane's back.

"Boom!"

Caught off guard, Thane hadn't even recovered from the shock of seeing "Clark" disappear when he was hit by this sudden punch, sending him flying a kilometer away.

Clark's fist was also enveloped in the destructive Phoenix Fire, burning the divine power surrounding his fist. Just then, as Clark was about to land a punch on Thane's back, the Phoenix Force inside Thane burst out violently, blocking this deadly strike.

Under these circumstances, while Clark's punch successfully penetrated the Phoenix Force and hit Thane, ninety percent of its force was dissipated, leaving only ten percent, which was not enough to seriously injure Thane, protected by the Phoenix Force.

Instead, it was the Phoenix Force that Thane unleashed that clung to his fist.

What a troublesome Phoenix Force!

Shocked, Clark forcefully expelled the divine power, shaking off the flames wrapped around his fist. Looking again at Thane, who turned back with a fierce expression, he said, "Such great power, such a worthless opponent!"

"If this power were in Thanos's hands, even I wouldn't dare to face it lightly. As for you..." Clark raised his right hand, pointing at Thane, "That old saying applies: you are far inferior!"

While verbally taunting his opponent, Clark maximized his sensory abilities, searching for any weakness in Thane's defense.

In the Marvel world, powerful characters at a certain level often prefer to clash directly with their powers.

Although this method has its reasoning, it wasn't very wise for Clark.

Using one's strengths to attack the opponent's weaknesses is the true essence of combat.

If one can find the opponent's weaknesses and attack where they are unprepared, it often leads to a victory against stronger foes.

As for a direct clash of energy, for Clark, that is a last resort when facing an opponent who matches him in all aspects and no other vulnerabilities can be found.

It's like the internal power struggles in martial arts novels—though they can quickly determine the victor, they are extremely risky.

It could even lead to a situation where you harm your enemy a thousand times and hurt yourself eight hundred times.

Provoked by Clark's words, Thane's anger ignited the Phoenix's fury. Scorching flames burst from his limbs, forming a massive column of fire several meters high, enveloping Thane entirely in the shape of a phoenix spreading its wings.

Seeing this, Clark used his spatial abilities to instantly disappear from the spot, transforming his Healing Hands into his most proficient staff form, launching a series of fierce attacks from all directions towards Thane.

While attacking fiercely, Clark continued to verbally provoke his opponent: "You obtained your power through despicable means, which is not bad in itself. Managing to acquire information unknown to others and deceiving Starfox, Champion, and Nebula into trusting you is also a skill."

"But after gaining power, you never thought about how to control it but allowed the power to control your actions, which is truly laughable."

"With such behavior, even if you possess great power, you are ultimately just a puppet manipulated by that power."

"Poor thing!"

Handling wave after wave of Clark's fierce attacks and also being constantly harassed by his trash talk, Thane felt like his lungs were about to explode.

"Shut up! You bastard, if you dare, fight me head-on!" Roaring in anger, the Phoenix Force erupted even more violently. Relying on the Phoenix Force's autonomous protective ability, Thane abandoned defense and countered Clark's attack with his own.

"Head-on?" Clark's tone remained disdainful: "Your experience is less than mine,

 your abilities less comprehensive, your composure less steady, your movements less agile... Why should I use my advantage to fight you head-on?"

"You surely don't think I'm as foolish as you?"

The battle continued, and Clark's trash talk did not stop...

The divine power combining the laws of force and space collided with the destructive Phoenix Fire, and the energy that spilled out spread wildly in all directions, instantly destroying everything within ten kilometers.

As the battle raged on, the repercussions continued to spread.

Like a stone thrown into water, creating ripples that layer upon layer, one pushing another!

The terrifying destructive power, in this escalating process, affected not only the planet's surface but even its core began to crack from the collision of these two cataclysmic forces.

The damage, spreading from the outside in, and then bursting forth from the interior, could cause catastrophic disasters on the surface when the impact from the deep core rebounded.

Earthquakes covering the entire planet, volcanic eruptions, shifts in the earth's crust, typhoons, and tsunamis...

Under this true apocalypse, the Chitauri planet lasted less than an hour before it completely disappeared into the vast universe with a violent explosion.

First, it turned into a massive, brilliant flame and then quieted down, as if it had never existed.

With the destruction of the Chitauri planet, a chain reaction affected the entire star system to some extent, inevitably leading to a series of disasters.

Fortunately, there were no other life-bearing planets in this star system, so there was no need to worry about more unnecessary killings.

As the aftermath of the explosion gradually faded, only a golden figure remained, standing proudly in the void.

It was Thane!

At this moment, Thane's golden armor showed many cracks from the intense battle, but under the effect of the Phoenix Force, it soon restored itself to new. It was somewhat reminiscent of a Phoenix Cloth reborn from the ashes...

Casually wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Thane's gaze swept over the empty space around him, letting out a disdainful snort: "You talk a good game, but you still ran away halfway through the fight?"

"Do you really think that Clark fled because he was afraid of you?" As a cold voice sounded, Lady Death once again appeared beside Thane, gently shaking her head with a sigh: "I didn't expect that in just a short time since we last met, besides the incredibly strong power hidden within him, he has grown to such an extent?"

"Goddess!" Seeing Lady Death, Thane once again resumed his courteous demeanor: "From what you just said, does Clark's retreat have another reason?"

Hearing Thane's question, Lady Death looked towards the distance with a profound gaze, softly speaking: "The reason is actually nothing special, he didn't kill you regardless of the consequences, just out of respect for me."

Thane was baffled, not understanding what kind of "respect" Lady Death was referring to.

And of course, Lady Death had no intention of explaining in detail, merely waving her hand casually: "All you need to know is that he won't personally come after you anymore after retreating this time. But you should also try not to actively seek him out. The universe is vast, try not to stir trouble on Earth or the Nine Realms."

"If you really push him into a corner, the one who ends up losing will definitely be you, while he... although he will also pay a significant price, it won't be unbearable."

With these words, she showed enough regard for Thane as a chess piece.

Could she explain the unspoken mutual compromises between her and Clark in detail to a mere chess piece?

Hearing his goddess imply he was inferior to Clark, Thane felt indignant, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms unconsciously.

However, seeing the serious expression on Lady Death's face, he eventually slowly unclenched his bloodied fists and nodded silently: "Alright, Goddess, I understand."

Hearing Thane's reply, Lady Death finally showed a satisfied smile, and the next moment, her figure disappeared into the void again, as if she had never been there.

Thane knew his goddess hadn't left; she just continued to accompany him in a way he couldn't understand.

The Phoenix Fire burst forth again, and his form turned into a red streak of light, instantly disappearing from the star system.

His next target, the place he most wanted to destroy, was Thanos's stronghold—the Dark Quadrant!

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