Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 418 Fighting at any cost

boom!
The palace gates were violently flung open, and a dozen or so martial artists dressed in different attire rushed in. Judging from their equipment and aura, these men came from at least three different factions.

Leading the group was a middle-aged man clad in black armor, the badge on his chest indicating he was a high-ranking officer in the Shadow Blade Legion of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Behind him followed five soldiers also in black armor, each possessing strength at least at the eighth rank of the Stellar level.

The second group was led by a female warrior wearing a robe adorned with lightning bolt patterns; she was likely a member of the Thunder Legion of the Qianwu Empire. Her team consisted of four people, all of considerable strength.

What surprised Rowan and Silver Moon the most was the third group, a group of warriors dressed in silver uniforms, with insignia on their chests indicating that they came from the special operations department of Virtual Universe Corporation.

Upon seeing the company logo, Yin Yue's heart tightened. She and Luo Wen, as mediators for the company, should be colleagues with these people. But under the current circumstances, they absolutely could not reveal their true identities.

"Inheritance... I sense the aura of the Storm King's inheritance," the Shadow Blade Legion officer stared intently at Rowan, his eyes gleaming with greed. "The inheritance of a King-level immortal has actually been obtained by a mere Stellar-level warrior."

"Hand over the inheritance, and we might give you a quick death," the female warrior from the Thunder Legion said coldly. "Otherwise, we'll let you experience what it means to wish you were dead."

The captain of the Virtual Universe Corporation also showed no friendliness. He coldly glanced at Rowan and Silver Moon, as if assessing their worth.

"Two ordinary explorers managed to obtain such a precious legacy," Company Captain Carl Stone sneered. "It seems luck is sometimes more important than strength. But once your luck runs out, it's time to hand over what doesn't belong to you."

Hearing this, Silver Moon smiled bitterly to herself. Karl, also a member of the Virtual Universe Company, actually wanted to seize the inheritance. It seemed that even colleague relationships became meaningless in the face of enormous profits.

"Gentlemen," Rowan tried to resolve the conflict through dialogue, "there might be a misunderstanding here. I did indeed inherit the legacy of the Storm King, but it was obtained through legitimate means."

"The proper means?" Mordred, an officer of the Shadowblade Legion, sneered. "In a place like this, strength is the only proper means. Since you lack the strength to protect the legacy, you should entrust it to someone stronger."

“Mordred is right,” Carl nodded in agreement. “While the Virtual Universe Corporation doesn’t condone plunder, in this unregulated environment, it’s only natural for the strong to acquire resources.”

“I agree,” echoed Natasha, the Thunder Legion warrior. “The legacy should belong to the strongest.”

Rowan now understood that these people didn't care how he obtained the inheritance; they only wanted to seize this precious legacy. Faced with enormous profits, morality and law became powerless.

What worries him even more is that even people from the Virtual Universe Company have joined the scramble. This shows that the value of inheritance is indeed enormous, enough to make people abandon principles and bottom lines.

"Silver Moon, prepare for battle," Rowan whispered to Silver Moon. "It seems talking is useless."

“Understood,” Silver Moon nodded in response, while simultaneously gathering her own power of laws. She knew that she absolutely could not reveal her identity as a company member now, and could only fight as an ordinary explorer.

Natasha was the first to lose patience. She suddenly raised her hand, and a thick bolt of lightning struck Rowan directly.

“Thor’s Wrath,” she murmured.

The power of this lightning bolt was terrifying; even a ninth-tier Stellar-level martial artist would be severely injured if struck head-on. However, Rowan was no longer an ordinary sixth-tier Stellar-level martial artist; the inheritance of the Storm King had brought about a qualitative leap in his strength.

"Storm Shield," Rowan calmly unleashed his defensive skill.

A transparent energy barrier appeared before Rowan. Lightning struck the barrier, only creating sparks before dissipating. This effortless defense astonished everyone present.

"How is this possible?" Natasha's eyes widened. "You're only a sixth-tier Stellar-level expert, how could you block my attack so easily?"

“The power of inheritance,” Mordred narrowed his eyes. “It seems this inheritance is more valuable than we imagined.”

“Interesting,” Karl said, a greedy expression creeping onto his face. “A legacy that allows a sixth-tier Stellar-level martial artist to withstand an eighth-tier Stellar-level attack is indeed worth fighting for.”

Rowan didn't answer; instead, he launched a counterattack. He moved with lightning speed, arriving in front of Natasha in an instant.

"Wind Blade Slash!" Rowan unleashed a sharp wind blade.

This wind blade was far more powerful than ordinary wind attacks, incorporating the Storm King's profound understanding of the laws of storms. Natasha hurriedly raised her weapon to defend, but was still knocked back several meters by the enormous impact.

"Attack together!" Mordred roared. "Don't give him a chance."

In an instant, more than a dozen martial artists launched attacks on Luo Wen and Yin Yue simultaneously. Attacks of various colors of laws intertwined in the air, and the entire palace was enveloped in intense energy fluctuations.

Silver Moon was forced to reveal some of her true strength. Her mastery of water magic was extremely exquisite; countless water blades danced in the air, each one accurately intercepting the enemy's attacks.

"Water Dragon Roar!" Silver Moon unleashed her powerful skill.

A massive water dragon rose from behind her, hurtling towards the Shadow Blade Legion soldiers. This water dragon not only possessed immense force but could also control the enemy's movements, binding them within the water's current.

“This woman is no pushover either,” Karl observed Silvermoon warily. “It seems we underestimated these two.”

Indeed, Silvermoon's displayed strength clearly exceeded that of ordinary explorers. Although she tried her best to conceal it, her superb skills in wielding the laws still revealed her extraordinary identity.

However, the enemy's numerical advantage remained significant. Even with Rowan and Silver Moon's formidable strength, the situation was still very dangerous when facing an attack from more than a dozen high-level martial artists.

"Shadowblade Assault," Mordred used the Shadowblade Legion's secret technique.

His figure suddenly split into several afterimages, each attacking in a different direction. This type of attack was extremely difficult to defend against because it was hard to determine which one was the real body.

However, through the legacy of the Storm King, Rowan gained a profound understanding of the laws of space. He could sense subtle fluctuations in space and accurately determine the location of the true body.

"Space Storm," Rowan unleashed a wide-area attack skill.

Centered on him, space began to distort violently, forming a small spatial storm. All the afterimages were torn apart by this storm, and only Mordred's true form was forced to appear.

"Damn it, how could you possibly master the laws of space?" Mordred asked, his face pale.

The laws of space are among the most difficult advanced laws to master, and usually only powerhouses at the World Lord level or above can wield them proficiently. How could a martial artist who appears to be only at the sixth rank of the Stellar level possibly master such profound laws?
"This is the power of the immortal legacy of a king," Rowan replied calmly. "You will never understand the realm of true power."

Seeing Mordred's disheveled state, Karl decided to use Virtual Universe Corporation's specialized equipment. He pulled a sophisticated energy emitter from his waist, the company's latest weapon. "The Void Annihilation Cannon," Karl said coldly, "is a weapon specifically designed to deal with high-level martial artists; even World Lord-level powerhouses must handle it with caution."

The energy transmitter began charging, emanating a chilling pressure. Silvermoon, seeing this weapon, felt a surge of anxiety. She knew the power of the Void Annihilation Cannon; it was one of the company's top-secret weapons, and its power was indeed terrifying.

But she can't reveal her identity right now; she can only try to stop Carl's attack.

"Ice Wall Technique," Silvermoon unleashed a wide-range defensive skill.

A thick wall of ice rose before Rowan, but the power of the Void Annihilation Cannon far surpassed that of ordinary attacks. The energy beam easily pierced through the ice wall and headed straight for Rowan.

Seeing this terrifying attack, Rowan decided to unleash the true power of the Storm King's legacy.

"Time Storm," Rowan unleashed one of the strongest skills he had learned from his heritage.

In an instant, the energy beam of the Void Annihilation Cannon was engulfed in the spacetime storm. The distortion of time and space caused the attack to completely lose its direction, ultimately dissipating into nothingness.

"The laws of spacetime?" Karl's eyes widened in shock. "You've actually mastered the laws of spacetime?"

The laws of spacetime are the most profound of all laws, and even within the Virtual Universe Corporation, only a handful of individuals possess the power to master them. How could an ordinary explorer possibly possess such terrifying abilities?

“It seems we’ve all underestimated the value of this inheritance,” Natasha’s eyes gleamed with even greater greed. “If we could obtain this inheritance, our strength would experience a qualitative leap.”

"I will obtain the legacy at all costs," Mordred resolved.

The three forces began to employ more dangerous attack methods. The Shadow Blade Legion soldiers began to burn their life force, the Thunder Legion used collective secret techniques, and even members of the Virtual Universe Company took out various high-tech weapons.

"Life burns, shadow blades dance wildly," five soldiers simultaneously used forbidden techniques.

"Thunder God's Judgment Array," four members of the Thunder Legion jointly released a large-scale magic array.

"Quantum decomposition weapon, activate!" The Virtual Universe Company team members brought out even more advanced equipment.

Faced with such a dense attack, Rowan and Silvermoon felt immense pressure. But there was no way out now; they could only fight back with all their might.

Silver Moon no longer concealed her strength, revealing the true power of a Domain Lord-level expert.

"Absolute Zero Domain," Silvermoon unleashed her domain skill.

The entire palace instantly transformed into an icy wonderland, with the temperature plummeting to near absolute zero. Most attacks were frozen upon contact with this area, their power significantly reduced.

"Domain Lord level?" Karl stared at Silver Moon in shock. "Who exactly are you people?"

There's no time to hide her identity now. Faced with a life-or-death crisis, Silvermoon must use all her strength.

"Freezing a thousand miles," Silver Moon continued to unleash powerful skills.

An even more terrifying chill swept through the entire palace, freezing everyone except Rowan in solid ice. Even Karl's high-tech weapons malfunctioned due to the extreme cold.

But this wasn't the end. Rowan decided to eliminate these enemies completely.

"Cosmic Storm, Ultimate Form!" Rowan unleashed the strongest skill inherited from the Storm King.

A miniature cosmic storm formed within the palace, a perfect fusion of various laws including wind, thunder, space, and time. Its power surpassed that of a World Lord and approached the attack level of an Immortal-level expert.

The frozen enemies, along with the solid ice, were reduced to nothingness by the impact of the cosmic storm. Even powerful warriors like Mordred, Natasha, and Karl could not survive such a terrifying attack.

The battle was over, and the entire palace returned to peace. Apart from Rowan and Silvermoon, there were no other living beings.

"It's over," Yin Yue breathed a sigh of relief, but her expression was somewhat complicated. "I didn't expect even the people from the company to..."

“When faced with absolute self-interest, any relationship can break down,” Rowan said calmly. “That’s the cruel reality.”

While killing a colleague is unpleasant, they had no choice in a life-or-death situation. Moreover, Carl and the others' actions violated the company's fundamental principles, and their deaths were their own fault.

"What do we do now?" Silvermoon asked about the next steps.

“Leave here,” Rowan said, looking at the mangled palace. “We’ve got the information we needed; now it’s time to get to the real mission.”

After leaving the Storm Temple, Rowan and Silvermoon did not immediately return to Reno Harbor. Based on the information left behind by the Storm King, they were now almost certain that the conflict between the two empires was no accident. If there were indeed servants of the Dark Lord manipulating things behind the scenes, then they had to find evidence.

"Where should we begin our investigation?" Silvermoon asked Rowan for his thoughts.

“Let’s start with the basics,” Rowan pondered. “Why would two great empires clash at this time over the Storm King’s legacy? Logically, while the legacy of an immortal king is precious, it shouldn’t be enough to cause two powerful empires to directly confront each other.”

Indeed, given the strength of both the Black Dragon Mountain Empire and the Qianwu Empire, they each possess powerful figures at the King-level or Immortal realm. While the Storm King's legacy is valuable, it shouldn't warrant the two empires fighting over it at any cost.

“And the timing is also suspicious,” Silvermoon added. “The legend of the Storm King has existed for thousands of years, so why is it only now that it has sparked such fierce competition?”

“That’s the crux of the matter,” Rowan nodded in agreement. “Someone must have deliberately spread certain information to make both empires believe that this struggle for succession is of extraordinary importance.”

The two decided to return to Port Reno and begin their investigation from the source. As the starting point of this incident, Port Reno was sure to hold important clues.

Using the Storm Temple's teleportation system, they quickly returned to the outer waters of Reno Harbor. But the scene before them took them by surprise.

(End of this chapter)