Chapter 505: Blooming Amidst Slaughter (2)

Chapter 505: Blooming Amidst Slaughter (2)

Marc, who was driving the car, hesitated to speak. He seemed to want to ask what happened when he lost consciousness and where the so-called important item, the beetle, had gone. But when Schiller fell silent, the entire atmosphere froze. Instinct told Marc that it might be better for him to remain silent for now.

In the dark rainy night, a car of the same darkness with only a faint reflection sped past the road, causing splashes of water.

Between the high-rise buildings, the speeding car raced like a bullet just fired from a gun barrel. With a screech, the brakes on high speed produced a piercing sound, leaving burnt traces on the ground. In front of the New York Wall Street Sanctum Sanctorum, Natasha stepped out of the car.

"Bang!" Natasha closed the car door and walked quickly through the door of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Looking from the street, this was the only place brightly lit on the dim street.

Inside the Sanctum Sanctorum, it was bustling despite the outside silence. Even standing in the reception area on the first floor, one could hear the commotion upstairs.

The female receptionist behind the desk wore a gentle smile. Without waiting for Natasha to present her identification, she nodded and said, "Hello, the Supreme Sorcerer is waiting for you on the 3rd floor."

Natasha nodded as well and walked quickly toward the staircase. Just as she reached the corner of the first floor, a red ribbon floated down and turned into an arrow, guiding her upwards.

As she passed through the staircase on the second floor, Natasha glanced inside. The office area was bustling.

Telephones flew around in the air, flashing and occasionally emitting sparks. There were also several terrifying shadowy forms of demon gods hovering overhead. It seemed like they were arguing through the telephones and projecting themselves directly, like a live-action Mortal Kombat.

Beautiful and dreamlike magical lights floated between the chandeliers. The sound of pages flipping and the crackling of the fireplace echoed in harmony. While the scene was supposed to be full of wondrous fantasies, it often interjected with out-of-place words like "interest rates," "taxes," "membership," and so on.

Withdrawing her gaze, Natasha arrived on the third floor. Here, soundproofing magic seemed to be in use, making it exceptionally quiet. Upon entering, she saw Strange leaning by the sofa, reading a book.

Unusually, he wasn't wearing his usual suit but was dressed in a robe. He had a red cape draped behind him, and the guiding red ribbon flew back into his hand. Strange extended his hand, pointing to the sofa across the tea table. Natasha walked over and sat down.

"I've already told you on the telephone. Our agents have reported an unidentified light phenomenon witnessed in Austria," Natasha said as she took out a stack of photos from her handbag.

Strange took the photos and furrowed his brows. He said, "Very interesting. It indeed looks like the energy of demon gods, but there's no proper divine presence in Austria or Germany..."

"Can you speculate which demon gods it might be?"

"The photos you took are too blurry. I can only see some white light. Moreover, the photos don't convey any sense of mysticism to me. Although it might be possible to decipher, it'll take some time."

"Schiller has been missing for over 10 hours. You know what that means," Natasha said with a serious expression.

"It means he has probably devised a grand plan again, and this time it seems he doesn't intend to involve us," Strange said, tossing the photos onto the table. He also became a bit more serious and looked at Natasha, asking, "Aside from this light phenomenon, do you have any other leads?"...

"We've already dispatched our people. There should be news soon," Natasha said and then picked up the telephone, dialing a number. After a few busy tones, Natasha got through and said:

"Hello? Yes, it's me. Have you just arrived? How's the situation over there? Any leads?... Hard to describe what it is?"

Following the signal of the telephone across thousands of miles, on the streets of a small town in Austria, Iron Man Stark looked down at the rugged road surface and the messy puddles of dirty water. He spoke with some confusion, "There aren't any straightforward leads here, but there are clues everywhere."

"... No, I'm not speaking in riddles. It's just that I don't have much understanding in terms of magic. Anyway, Strange, are you there? Just open a portal and come take a look. Oh, and bring all the Avengers with you. This situation might be quite significant."

Wearing his steel combat suit, Iron Man walked around the scene. As he said, there were indeed many traces here, but most of them were unintelligible to him. These weren't caused by modern weapons; they were traces left by magic.

However, this didn't prevent Stark from realizing that a fierce battle had taken place here, perhaps more than one.

However, as everything returned to darkness, what appeared in the headlight's glow was a group of individuals, human in appearance. They varied in gender and attire, but all had converged towards the car parked in the middle of the road.

Marc opened the car door and stepped out. The group of people gave him an unsettling gaze. One of them spoke, "Khonshu, we've received reports. Ammit claims that you've colluded with external evil deities, causing slaughter. Come with us to court and face judgment."

Marc's body stiffened. Veins popped out on his neck, and his eyes emitted a white light as Khonshu's voice resonated from his mouth:

"Ammit distorts the truth. It was he who recklessly poured power into the mortal realm, attempting to break free. I am only retaliating."

"But you brought two wicked followers and even kidnapped Ammit's disciples. Have you forgotten the rules of the celestial realm?"

Marc stiffly turned his head and saw Arthur, who had been unconscious and left on the back seat by Schiller. He paused and said, "Ammit had his followers roam the mortal world, spreading evil teachings. He has been indiscriminately killing the innocent. That's not judgment."

"We have no interest in the disputes within your faith domains. However, according to the rules of the celestial realm, you must come with us and face judgment." A woman among them spoke. Her voice carried a mysterious echo, as though it came from a distant place.

"The Twelve Pillars of the Gods have long decayed!" Khonshu's tone held anger. He said, "You were well aware of Ammit's actions, yet you abandoned humanity, seeking only faith without bestowing blessings, just as you did millions of years ago..."

"Stepping away from humanity is the gods' mercy towards all beings." Another man spoke, his voice solemn and dignified. He said, "Regardless, you are still one of us. You should return with us and face Ammit directly..."

They continued to converse in ancient Egyptian. Schiller sat in the car's passenger seat, observing everything through the windshield.

In the rain-soaked night, where darkness was deeper than the night itself, the people standing before the car emitted a mysterious glow in their eyes. It was as if this were the beginning of a classic horror film.

However, this eerie atmosphere didn't last long. A streak of golden meteor crossed the sky, and with the sound of jets, Iron Man landed above the vehicle. He didn't know what was happening with the people here, but he noticed Schiller sitting in the car.

Soon after, the Avengers arrived, and then, from the other end of the highway, another convoy approached.

Steve, who had just stepped forward to investigate, squinted his eyes. In the moment when the oncoming high beams were turned off, he caught a glimpse of someone sitting inside a car — a familiar figure, Hydra leader Baron Zemo.

At this point, Stark simply opened the driver's side door and sat down, turning his head to Schiller and asking, "What are you doing here? What's going on now?"

He saw Schiller step out of the car. Under Captain America's gaze, Baron Zemo walked towards Schiller, and the two shook hands in front of the car. Baron Zemo said:

"Welcome back, doctor. Hail Hydra."

Steve's pupils contracted, and Iron Man rushed out of the car. The Avengers behind him all wore expressions of disbelief. But in that very moment, something even more shocking happened —

Right after shaking hands with Baron Zemo, Schiller raised an Umbrella and with a "bang," struck Baron Zemo down. He then stepped on Zemo's chest, a knife piercing his throat.

In an instant, the Umbrella opened, blood spurted, staining Iron Man and Captain America's uniforms. It flowed down their bodies and dripped into puddles on the ground.

On the surface of the dark-red puddle, reflected Schiller's jaw. His mouth was open, his eerie voice hidden within the sound of rain.

"Yesterday, they were divided..."

"Today, they unite as one."

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