Chapter 325: Chapter 325: Hunting the Black Swan
On the holographic map in the central hall of the Void Fortress, the green trajectory representing Rabum Alal remained stationary at the coordinates of a remote universe for a full thirty seconds before disappearing entirely.
Standing before the map, Levi’s eyes gradually dimmed as the golden-red and silver-white glow receded.
He knew Doctor Doom wouldn’t be fooled by a false coordinate for long, but a thirty-second window was more than enough.
"Clark. Wanda."
Turning around, he looked at the Silver Superman hovering in midair and the Scarlet Witch seated in a corner.
"You’re coming with me."
Clark descended from the air, his boots landing heavily on the metal floor.
He could hear the urgency beneath Levi’s calm tone—the kind of composure that only appeared when every second mattered.
Wanda stood up, holding Adam in her arms. Scarlet Chaos Magic instinctively formed a protective barrier around her.
She glanced at the countless lights scattered across the map before looking back at Levi.
"Which universe?"
Levi raised a hand and swiped casually across the hologram.
The countless glowing points immediately darkened until only a single point remained at the center. It rapidly expanded, eventually dominating the entire projection.
Intricate networks of energy strands crisscrossed within the light, resembling an impossibly dense neural network.
"Universe-621."
Levi pointed at the core of the projection.
"The Molecule Man of this universe has just awakened, but he hasn’t learned how to control his power yet. Based on Rabum Alal’s hunting pattern, once he finishes dealing with the decoy coordinates, this will be his next target."
Tony quickly pulled up the universe’s data and immediately frowned.
"A cyberpunk world. Its technological development is severely distorted, and religious fanaticism is off the charts. The dominant force here is an organization called the Black Swan Cult. They worship the Molecule Man as a god while secretly preparing some kind of sacrificial ritual."
The Eye of Agamotto on Strange’s forehead flickered repeatedly as he focused on the blood-red shadow stretching across the timeline.
"It’s not a sacrifice."
His voice grew grim.
"It’s an execution."
"The Black Swan Cult is one of Rabum Alal’s proxy organizations. Their job is to keep the target under control before he arrives personally. They make sure the Molecule Man doesn’t lose control and detonate the plan prematurely."
Levi nodded.
"Which means we need to get to him before Doctor Doom does."
He raised his right hand.
The Source of Dominion condensed in his palm, golden energy spreading outward and tearing open a five-meter-wide spatial rift before them.
From the other side came the shriek of machinery and eerie religious hymns, accompanied by unsettling energy fluctuations.
Clark rolled his shoulders as Kryptonian cells throughout his body began absorbing ambient radiation.
Wanda handed Adam to Natasha, who had just arrived. Scarlet Chaos Magic gathered between her hands, becoming tangible.
Levi stepped through first.
Clark and Wanda followed immediately behind him.
Their figures vanished into the golden light.
The spatial tear silently sealed itself shut.
---
The sky of Universe-621 was a sickly crimson-purple.
Countless floating billboards drifted above the city, projecting distorted religious symbols and images of mechanical deities.
Levi’s group landed atop the dome of a colossal cathedral.
The structure beneath their feet was composed of a bizarre mixture of black alloy and living biological tissue. It felt warm to the touch and pulsed faintly.
Clark’s super hearing instantly locked onto the sounds emanating from within.
Hundreds of synchronized voices chanting.
The constant hum of machinery.
And the suppressed groans of someone enduring unbearable pain.
"Third underground level. Central altar."
His voice was low.
"Someone’s nailed to a cross. His energy signature is close to Owen’s."
Wanda’s Chaos Magic seeped through the structure, revealing additional details.
Twelve individuals with extremely high energy readings stood around the altar.
Each was surrounded by the characteristic energy signature of the Black Swans.
At the center stood a much stronger presence.
Her energy output was at least three times greater than any of the others.
Golden-red light flickered in Levi’s eyes as the Source of Dominion instantly mapped out the cathedral’s entire structure.
The altar on the third underground level was a circular platform fifty meters in diameter.
At its center stood a gigantic mechanical cross.
A bald man covered in tubes had been nailed to it.
The tubes connected to an extraction apparatus beneath the cross, steadily siphoning away the power of a Beyonder.
The twelve women wore black cloaks adorned with feathered wings.
Each held a spear forged from dark matter.
Their spearheads were aimed directly at the man on the cross.
Standing in the center was a tall woman with cold features.
Her cloak was embedded with countless tiny gemstones.
Every gem radiated energy from a different universe.
Levi immediately recognized her.
Yabbat Ummon Turru.
Leader of the Black Swans.
A survivor from a destroyed universe.
And Rabum Alal’s most loyal enforcer.
"Get ready."
Levi raised his right hand.
Golden energy condensed in his palm.
Clark’s armor began glowing as silver light spread across his body. His Superman physiology and Transcendent Concept activated simultaneously.
Wanda formed a seal with her hands.
Chaos Magic erupted into a crimson torrent, creating a ten-meter domain around her.
The three attacked at the same moment.
Levi slammed a hand onto the cathedral roof.
The Source of Dominion instantly rewrote the structure’s physical laws.
The supposedly indestructible alloy walls melted like wax, opening a direct path to the third underground level.
Clark became a streak of silver light and shot downward first.
His attention was fixed entirely on the twelve dark-matter spears.
The moment he entered the altar chamber, all twelve Black Swans turned simultaneously.
The spears left their hands and transformed into twelve black streaks racing toward him.
To Silver Superman, they moved as slowly as frozen images.
Clark flashed forward.
A thousandth of a second before impact, he had already seized two spear shafts.
The Transcendent Concept surged through him.
The dark-matter weapons—capable of piercing barriers between universes—instantly disintegrated into fundamental particles in his hands.
He never stopped moving.
His body traced a perfect Z-shaped path across the altar.
Each turn crushed another spear.
Less than three seconds later, all twelve dark-matter spears had been erased from existence.
Yabbat’s expression changed dramatically.
She pointed upward.
The altar floor split apart.
Countless black tentacles erupted from the cracks.
Human eyes and mouths covered their surfaces, releasing maddening shrieks.
Wanda had already anticipated the attack.
She thrust both hands outward.
A gigantic scarlet hand formed from Chaos Magic descended from above and slammed into the altar.
The tentacles had barely emerged before their existence was rewritten.
Living flesh became harmless stone.
Then the stone shattered into dust.
"You should never have come here."
Yabbat’s voice was icy.
Her cloak exploded outward, revealing black crystalline armor covering her entire body.
Every gemstone ignited simultaneously.
Power from countless universes converged inside her, forming a pressure powerful enough to tear space itself apart.
She reached into the void.
A colossal sword of pure dark energy materialized in her hand.
The blade was wrapped in countless screaming soul fragments.
Each fragment represented the remains of a universe she had personally destroyed.
Levi emerged from the passageway.
His golden-red and silver-white eyes locked onto her.
"The leader of the Black Swans."
His voice remained calm.
"Rabum Alal’s favorite executioner."
"I heard you personally slaughtered seven universes to gather materials for Battleworld."
Without responding, Yabbat swung the dark-energy sword.
The blade cleaved space apart.
Behind the opening, a chaotic dimensional fissure became visible.
She intended to drag the altar—and all three intruders—into the Void Dimension and annihilate them.
Levi slowly raised his hand.
The Source of Dominion and the Concept of Greed erupted simultaneously.
Golden light burst from his palm, forming an enormous energy mirror.
The fractured edges of space were instantly locked in place.
Then a greater force pushed outward.
The dimensional tear was forcibly sealed.
Yabbat’s pupils contracted.
She could clearly sense that Levi existed on a level she could not comprehend.
It wasn’t simply a difference in power.
His very existence surpassed hers on a conceptual level.
Yet she did not retreat.
As the Black Swan leader, retreating would be equivalent to betraying Rabum Alal.
She inhaled deeply.
Every gemstone embedded in her armor exploded.
The fundamental energy of dozens of universes was released at once.
Her body began disintegrating.
Flesh transformed into pure energy and merged with the dark-energy sword.
This was one of the Black Swans’ forbidden techniques.
Burnout.
A technique that sacrificed one’s own existence in exchange for a single strike beyond all limits.
The dark-energy sword transformed into a pillar of black light.
It shot directly toward Levi.
Wherever it passed, space shattered, time froze, and causality collapsed.
The attack was powerful enough to erase any being below the multiversal level.
Levi remained where he stood.
He did not dodge.
He merely raised his right hand.
Palm facing forward.
The Concept of Greed erupted completely.
A bottomless black vortex appeared before him.
The instant the annihilating beam entered the vortex, it vanished like a pebble sinking into the ocean.
Not even a ripple formed.
The vortex continued spinning.
It devoured not only the attack, but also the remnants of Yabbat’s sacrifice.
Her lingering energy.
Her memories.
Even traces of her existence itself.
Everything was swallowed.
Levi closed his eyes.
He began analyzing the memory fragments.
Countless images flashed through his mind.
Rabum Alal stood atop a throne built from shattered planets.
Below him knelt rows upon rows of Black Swan followers.
"Battleworld is nearly complete."
"All Molecule Men must be executed or contained before the ritual begins."
"Any oversight will cause the entire plan to collapse."
The scene changed.
A massive circular platform floated in the void.
Hundreds of transparent cells were embedded into its surface.
Inside each cell was a Molecule Man.
Their bodies were pierced by countless tubes.
Their power was continuously extracted and fed into a terrifying central device.
Another shift.
Rabum Alal personally activated the core.
Fragments of countless universes began assembling overhead.
Piece by piece, they merged into a new world.
A world ruled entirely by his will.
Battleworld.
Levi opened his eyes.
The golden-red and silver-white flames within them burned brighter than ever.
At last, he understood Rabum Alal’s true objective.
Doctor Doom was not trying to stop the collapse of the multiverse.
He was using the Beyonders’ bomb network to harvest enough universal fragments and Molecule Man energy to create a new world entirely under his control.
A world built upon the corpses of countless universes.
At that moment, the air above the altar distorted.
A green energy projection materialized.
A cloaked figure wearing a metal mask.
The unmistakable image of Rabum Alal himself.
Through the narrow slits of the mask, his eyes locked onto Levi.
"Interesting."
Doctor Doom’s voice was low and filled with curiosity.
"You’re more than just a variable."
"You’ve started interfering with my designs personally."
Levi slowly turned and met the projection’s gaze.
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