Chapter 141: I, the Great Demon King Lotus, Have Returned!

Amid the chaos of the battlefield, the point of light was not particularly conspicuous, but some people still noticed it.

Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America felt their hearts sink.

They thought, one after another: Has it come? In the end, it really has...

They could not imagine the consequences of doing this. But whatever happened, there seemed to be no other choice now. And for them, whatever came afterward was no longer their concern.

They had already completed their mission.

None of them chose to close their eyes at that moment. They lifted their heads and gazed at the point of light streaking across the sky, quietly awaiting the arrival of the final moment.

When the point of light reached its highest altitude, the blinding radiance they had expected did not appear. Neither did the nuclear explosion they had imagined. The point of light did not even fall. Instead, it stopped high in the air.

Black Widow and the others were all stunned.

This was clearly not the launch of a nuclear missile. Then... what could it be?

Suddenly, the point of light blazed brilliantly. It was not the radiance of an explosion, but a light that was both intensely powerful and strangely gentle. In an instant, it spilled into every corner of the city.

At that moment, the sun had only just begun to rise above the horizon. Yet the entire city of New York entered broad daylight in an instant!

Everyone stared in utter astonishment at the object whose brightness had suddenly increased by millions of times. They instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes from the dazzling light. Their mouths fell open in disbelief.

Was that... the sun?

It was a sun almost indistinguishable from the one they saw every day. Only its altitude made it obvious that it was within the atmosphere rather than beyond the heavens. It was even somewhat lower than the open spatial gateway.

While everyone was bewildered and unable to understand what was happening, the nine-meter-tall armored giant atop Stark Tower suddenly raised his lightsaber.

“Apocalypse!”

Luke’s voice resounded across the entire battlefield!

The light on his blade suddenly erupted. Brilliant golden radiance swiftly gathered at its tip, and then a thick golden beam shot straight into the sky, striking the sun with perfect accuracy.

The flames of holy light surged, leaped, and coursed through the beam. The power of holy light within Luke’s body poured outward like a flood released from its dam, his entire reserve being injected into the sun.

The process lasted roughly a minute. During that time, even Proxima Midnight was forced back. She could not look directly at the beam formed from those blazing flames of holy light. To her horror, she discovered that her power was being suppressed by an immeasurable pressure.

Everyone in New York witnessed the magnificent scene: a sun that had appeared from nowhere illuminated the city, then a golden beam shot into the sky and connected with it. Gradually, the sun itself began to radiate golden light.

That golden light seemed to contain an aura of solemn majesty, making people instinctively want to kneel and worship. Its sacred presence moved the believers who had been huddling inside their homes, trembling as they prayed to God. They could not help but weep with joy, tears shining in their eyes.

The golden beam suddenly vanished.

The nine-meter-tall armored giant slowly lowered his lightsaber, now dimmed.

At that moment, the Apocalypse Pearl was truly complete.

Then, from the Apocalypse Pearl, which had now become a golden sun, light suddenly burst outward. In the blink of an eye, an endless golden radiance enveloped the entire city of New York.

Soft golden light spread across the sky and earth, falling upon every person.

All the humans were astonished to discover that the wounds on their bodies were rapidly healing before their very eyes. Everyone also felt a power filling their bodies—something stronger than anything they had ever experienced before.

The exhausted heroes rose to their feet one after another.

The injuries on Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the others vanished completely. They even discovered that their physical abilities now surpassed those of ordinary people, while their minds were filled with abundant energy.

Captain America, Thor, and Hulk all found themselves refreshed. Their already extraordinary physical capabilities had somehow risen another level.

Tony had suffered little injury inside the Iron Man armor; he was merely exhausted. But now, battle spirit shone in his eyes. He had heard that cry of “Apocalypse” clearly.

He thought to himself: That little brat really did have another trick up his sleeve.

At that moment, Tony had to admit that he was beginning to like the little brat who could always produce something impressive.

And Tony was not the only one who had heard the cry. Everyone present had heard it loud and clear.

It was Luke’s voice!

Aboard the helicarrier, Nick Fury had also witnessed the scene through the remote broadcast. Though astonishment showed on his dark face, his heart was filled with immense relief.

The radiance of the Apocalypse Pearl spread into every corner of the city. Anyone Luke recognized as an ally continued to recover beneath its light, while their physical abilities were greatly enhanced. Even ordinary people were no exception.

The American soldiers who had entered the battlefield had initially been overwhelmed by the aliens. Now, a commander seemed to have received some order from his superiors. He leaped onto a tank and waved repeatedly, shouting commands.

Unit after unit of American soldiers, their bodies overflowing with strength, began organizing a counterattack. Everyone was exhilarated.

It was the superheroes! They had done it!

The soldiers’ hearts filled with conviction: As long as those superheroes were here, the aliens were nothing to fear.

Now was the time to strike back!

Proxima Midnight entangled Luke once more.

Lying inside the cockpit, Luke could feel a pleasant warmth spreading through him. His exhaustion had vanished, and his entire body was filled with strength. Unfortunately, his primary means of combat was the armor. Apocalypse had barely enhanced him at all.

After being relentlessly harried by Proxima Midnight, Luke had long since lost his temper. She was an impossibly tough opponent—slippery and elusive, far too fast. Almost none of his killing moves could touch her.

And every time her spear transformed into three black beams, it inflicted a certain amount of damage on his armor.

If things continued this way, defeat was only a matter of time.

Just as he was at a loss, Luke suddenly sensed something. He turned around in delighted surprise.

Inside the fish tank, Lotus—who had been tossed back and forth—had finally begun to open his eyes after sleeping for more than half a month.

Suddenly, a mental shock wave swept outward like a hurricane!

Almost in the same instant, that incomparably vast mental power passed across the entire battlefield and then spread over the whole city of New York!

Throughout the city, everyone stopped moving. They stood where they were, their eyes vacant.

For a brief moment, an illusion appeared in every person’s mind: the image of a colossal octopus, baring its fangs and waving its tentacles, was branded deep into their hearts.

That was Lotus’s true form.

The Chitauri soldiers filling the sky began plummeting one after another, raining down like dumplings dropped into a pot.

At that moment, throughout New York, every living creature except Luke was dragged into an illusion by that terrifying mental power beyond compare.

At the same time, a wild, familiar voice cackled beside Luke’s ear.

“Meh-heh-heh! The great Demon King Lotus has returned!”