No matter how thoroughly Earth prepared, it could not prevent the arrival of the Celestials.
They were a group of terrifying powerhouses.
Every one of them existed at the multiversal level.
Had this not been the Main Universe, their mere arrival might have instantly destroyed the entire universe.
That was the power of multiversal-level beings.
Even within the Main Universe, where they could not easily destroy the universe itself, they were still capable of unleashing incomparably terrifying power.
They could effortlessly destroy entire star systems.
As they advanced without restraint, they annihilated every star system they passed.
They were like an army born solely for destruction.
It did not take long for the figures of more than a hundred Dark Celestials to appear at the edge of the Solar System.
Incomparably terrifying destructive power radiated from their bodies.
Each of their enormous forms was comparable to an entire continent.
Their mere approach brought with it a suffocating pressure.
Faced with that overwhelming oppression, Tony Stark and Reed Richards were the first to act.
The terrifying laser weapon they had positioned beyond Earth immediately opened fire.
There was no sound.
The colossal device had already launched its attack before anyone realized it.
Unlike the dramatic scenes shown in movies, space contained no medium through which sound could travel.
The laser produced no sound, and its path could not be seen from the side in the vacuum of space.
The crystal at the top of the machine flashed.
The powerful attack had already been launched.
The laser crossed the vast distance at an astonishing speed.
Using calculations made by the artificial intelligence system, Tony and Reed predicted the Celestials' movements and continued firing.
The invisible attack shot directly toward the Dark Celestials at the edge of the Solar System.
This immensely powerful laser was capable of melting virtually anything.
It represented the brilliance of human science, the pinnacle of existing technology, and humanity's greatest weapon.
Even the energy weapon built into Tony Stark's chest paled in comparison.
This machine embodied the combined intellect of Tony Stark and Mister Fantastic, two of the most intelligent people on Earth.
It was the most terrifying offensive weapon humanity possessed.
On Earth, Tony and Reed stared unblinkingly at the screen before them.
Through their tracking equipment, they could clearly observe the laser's calculated trajectory.
When they saw the powerful attack strike the Celestials directly, both men cried out in excitement.
"Excellent!" Tony exclaimed.
Their attack had struck the Celestials head-on.
However, before they could celebrate, Reed noticed that something was wrong.
The immensely powerful attack had accomplished absolutely nothing.
The Celestials did not react at all.
It was as though they had never been attacked.
One of them merely waved a hand.
The powerful weapon Tony and Reed had created immediately exploded.
The weapon was several kilometers long and had been equipped with numerous defensive systems, yet it was destroyed in an instant.
"Fuck!"
"What the hell are those things?"
"My God! Are those demons that crawled out of Hell?"
Reed's eyes widened.
Normally refined and mild-mannered, even he could not stop himself from swearing.
Tony and Reed had personally witnessed Karl's overwhelming power.
For that reason, they had installed extensive defenses on the satellite-like attack platform.
The platform incorporated Earth's most advanced technology.
It possessed deflection fields, energy shields, and numerous other defensive systems.
Its defensive strength might have been the greatest of any weapon on Earth.
Yet despite all those protections, it had exploded instantly.
The so-called Celestials had destroyed it with a casual gesture.
What kind of terrifying power was that?
Reed and Tony's expressions became extremely grim.
"These are not creatures humanity can defeat."
Although neither of them openly admitted it, despair had already taken root in their hearts.
Were these truly enemies that humanity could fight?
They were not the only ones who felt despair.
The Inhumans and the Atlanteans felt it as well.
They even activated terrifying weapons that had been left behind since before recorded antiquity.
However, those weapons were completely useless.
Their world-destroying attacks were blocked instantly.
The weapons and ancient relics that launched those attacks were then destroyed just as quickly.
Attilan, the Inhumans' enormous city on the Moon, had half of its structure annihilated by the terrifying power in an instant.
The Inhumans suffered devastating losses.
The Atlanteans beneath the ocean fared no better.
Black light descended directly from the sky.
Atlantis, which had stood for tens of thousands of years, was more than half destroyed in an instant.
Neither civilization had posed even the slightest threat to the Celestials.
They had not left so much as a scratch on their enemies.
Instead, they themselves suffered catastrophic losses.
Their hearts were filled with absolute despair.
The Dark Celestials were simply too powerful.
Earth's weapons could not penetrate their defenses.
Instead, the defenders of Earth were being subjected to unprecedented destruction.
These beings were far too terrifying.
It was no wonder that so many factions on Earth had fallen into despair.
Even Professor X was overwhelmed by fear.
He had also attempted to attack them.
Using Cerebro beneath the school, he extended a psychic attack into outer space and touched the minds of the Dark Celestials.
However, the Dark Celestials were far too powerful.
The contact caused a psychic backlash.
Professor X could barely think clearly.
He had even lost control of his emotions.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Do we still have any hope?" Professor X asked mournfully.
Under normal circumstances, he would never have lost his composure like this.
However, the backlash had disrupted his mental state.
His mind was processing information much more slowly than usual, and he could no longer properly control his emotions.
That was why everything he felt was now plainly visible on his face.
The mutants watching him felt both sorrow and despair.
When had they ever seen Professor X in such a miserable condition?
Phoenix frowned deeply, her eyes reddening.
"I'll go."
"I'll fight those creatures in space."
Phoenix gritted her teeth as she spoke.
She still could not freely control the Phoenix Force.
However, with her emotions surging, she could unleash an extraordinarily terrifying amount of power.
Even if using it caused severe consequences afterward, she could no longer afford to hesitate.
Terrifying power erupted from Phoenix's body.
Golden energy appeared behind her and formed two magnificent wings.
She tore through the clouds and flew directly toward the sky.
None of the mutants spoke.
At that moment, every major faction on Earth fell silent.
The Celestials brought with them an indescribably terrifying sense of oppression.
Their overwhelming power plunged everyone into profound despair.
How could they possibly resist enemies like these?
Earth immediately descended into chaos.
(End of Chapter)
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