A dozen or so minions were stealthily bypassing the mirror dimension barrier, trying to carry the main brain away from the approaching barrier.
"Hurry, stop them!"
"I can't hold on much longer!"
For the first time, the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, lost her composure and shouted loudly without looking back.
Blood gushed from her mouth, blindingly bright.
It dripped onto the ground, forming dazzling blood flowers under the sunlight.
The superheroes behind her suddenly snapped out of their daze and charged toward the Chitauri army surging in.
The arena, which had briefly calmed due to the Ancient One's actions, was once again filled with screams and roars.
Bodies of either Chitauri or superheroes fell limply on the arena.
Light blue and crimson blood intermingled freely, soaking the ground.
From Zane's aerial perspective, a vividly colorful watercolor painting unfolded.
The mixture of the superheroes' indomitable will was a color Zane couldn't describe.
Not even the best painter in the world could replicate this hue!
But the unparalleled brilliance, even more dazzling than the auroras he had seen during a star's collapse, momentarily stunned Zane.
A pleased smile involuntarily curled at the corners of his mouth.
Like a child seeing a beloved toy.
On the arena, Thor had just smashed a minion's head with his hammer.
He inadvertently spotted the dozen sneaky figures running toward the main brain.
Instantly, Thor let out an angry roar, forcibly squeezing out a trace of divine power from his body and swung Mjölnir.
With the hammer's momentum, he soared into the sky, heading straight for the main brain.
Sensing their plan had been discovered, the main brain let out a furious shout.
In the next moment, the dozen minions ran even faster toward him.
Simultaneously, a part of the army fighting the superheroes diverted, heading toward the gap between the two space barriers.
They intended to rescue their main brain.
Just as a minion's hand was about to touch the seat holding the main brain, a hammer descended from the sky, smashing him into a pulp.
Immediately afterward, Thor staggered down, separating the Chitauri soldiers from their main brain.
"Come on, scum. If you want to save him, you'll have to step over my dead body," Thor said with a grin.
His unsteady body stood like a rock, blocking all soldiers from rescuing the main brain.
With Thor as the dividing line, the soldiers who rushed forward fell one by one, becoming lifeless corpses.
Thor's consciousness gradually began to blur; he could only mechanically swing Mjölnir in his hand.
He didn't know how many enemies he had killed, nor how many injuries he had sustained.
He only knew he had to stand there!
The other heroes felt the same, forming a wall with their bodies, encircling the Ancient One, who was struggling to maintain the spell.
As time passed, the magical circle in the Ancient One's hand flickered on and off.
Tony's armor was shattered and broken.
Blood streamed from Cyclops' eyes.
Thor's eyes had lost their light.
And the barrier was now behind the main brain.
The outcome would be decided in the next moment!
Even Zane couldn't help but stand up, staring intently at the arena...
The barrier had unknowingly reached the seat of the main brain.
Suddenly, all the Chitauri forces became even more frenzied. Those close to the superheroes even threw their energy guns away and lunged at the superheroes like wild beasts, biting and clawing.
In an instant, several superheroes, who were holding on solely through willpower, were knocked to the ground.
This created gaps in the defensive line surrounding the Ancient One, leaving her vulnerable. Countless Chitauri soldiers, filled with a desperate will to survive, surged toward the defenseless Ancient One.
At the same time, the barrier had shrunk behind the main brain. In a panic, the main brain used all his strength to lean forward, desperately crawling away from the encroaching barrier.
This was a test of endurance—who could outlast whom!
As several Chitauri soldiers reached the Ancient One's robe, focused on maintaining her spell, the barrier corroded the main brain's feet as he desperately clawed at the ground, trying to escape.
At this critical moment, Storm, who had fainted from overusing her powers, seemed to sense the crisis. She suddenly opened her eyes, ignoring the pain that felt like her head was about to explode. She mustered her strength and unleashed a chain lightning, connecting the Chitauri soldiers surrounding the Ancient One.
Blood streamed from Storm's nose, and she fainted once more.
Though the lightning no longer had the power to kill the Chitauri soldiers, it had a paralyzing effect. All the Chitauri soldiers threatening the Ancient One were immobilized, unable to take another step despite the main brain's frantic commands.
With each increasingly desperate scream from the main brain, the barrier Zane had set continued to shrink inward without mercy, now reaching the main brain's waist.
In this dire situation, a ruthless glint flashed in the main brain's eyes. In the next moment, over 7,000 soldiers, aside from the minions attacking the superheroes, were drained dry by a special device at his waist. An energy shield, about a finger thick, enveloped the remnants of the main brain's body, attempting to slow the barrier's erosion.
However, this so-called absolute defense, capable of repelling physical, energy, and even soul attacks, was like thin paper before Zane's barrier—it tore apart instantly, failing to halt the barrier's progress.
In his panic, the main brain overlooked a crucial point: by sacrificing all the soldiers except those near the superheroes, there was no longer any need for the Ancient One to maintain the mirror dimension barrier.
A flash of wild joy appeared in the Ancient One's eyes, and she immediately dispelled the magic circle in her hands. The space barrier, which had trapped the main brain in the middle like an insurmountable chasm, shattered into countless pieces without the support of magical power.
The fragments scattered in all directions, reflecting multicolored lights in the sunlight before disappearing into the void.
Now, the Ancient One had transformed into an elderly figure, appearing seventy or eighty years old. Her face was marked with the deep lines of time, and her once sapphire-like eyes had become clouded and dull.
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