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

Chapter 422 The stronghold was completely destroyed

"So what should we do now?" Rowan asked Silver Moon for her opinion.

“Wait for the company’s aid to arrive,” Silvermoon suggested. “Perhaps a higher-ranking diplomat can find a breakthrough. Or we can force a ceasefire directly.”

"A forced ceasefire?" Rowan hesitated. "Wouldn't that cause a bigger conflict?"

“There is that risk,” Silvermoon acknowledged, “but if the war is allowed to continue, the Dark Minions will achieve their goal. We must choose between the greater good and the short-term risks.”

As the two were discussing, an even fiercer battle suddenly erupted on the distant battlefield. It seemed that both empires had committed more troops, and the situation was escalating rapidly.

“The situation is getting worse,” Silvermoon observed the changes on the battlefield. “If this continues, it could escalate into a full-scale war.”

“We must find a way to stop this escalation,” Rowan said firmly. “Even if we can’t get them to stop, we must at least control the scale of the war.”

“But there are only two of us, and there’s very little we can do,” Silvermoon realistically analyzed.

“No, we have another option,” Rowan suddenly realized, “We can directly attack the Dark Servants’ other strongholds in this area. If we can disrupt their plans, we might be able to influence the course of the war.”

“That’s a good idea,” Silvermoon’s eyes lit up. “And now that we have some information about them, we can take the initiative.”

“Then it’s decided,” Rowan made the final decision. “Before the company’s aid arrives, we will take the initiative and disrupt the activities of the Dark Minions as much as possible.”

Just as Rowan and Silver Moon were preparing to act alone, a massive spatial fluctuation suddenly appeared in the sky. The Virtual Universe Corporation's support fleet arrived a full twelve hours ahead of schedule, clearly demonstrating that the company's level of concern regarding this threat exceeded everyone's expectations.

"That's... the company's flagship?" Silver Moon stared in shock at the massive warship gradually appearing in the sky. "How could it have arrived so quickly?"

A super warship, over three thousand meters long, slowly descended onto the sea nearby, its Virtual Universe Corporation logo gleaming in the sunlight. The warship's size and imposing presence far surpassed ordinary warships; even the Empire's main warships appeared dwarfed before it.

“This is the company’s ‘Eternal Light’,” Silvermoon recognized the legendary warship. “It’s said that it’s only deployed when facing a cosmic-level threat.”

Soon, a small shuttle flew off the main ship and landed directly where Rowan and Silvermoon were. The shuttle's hatch opened, and a woman who looked quite young but had an extraordinary aura stepped out. It was Elena Star, the CEO of Virtual Universe Corporation.

“Rowan, Silvermoon,” Elena called them by name directly, “your report has garnered unprecedented attention within the company. I’ve come personally, hoping to resolve this threat as soon as possible.”

“Your Excellency CEO,” Silver Moon bowed respectfully, “I didn’t expect you to come in person.”

“The threat of the Lord of Darkness is not to be underestimated,” Elena said with an unusually serious expression. “Based on our in-depth research into the ancient archives, this threat is far more dangerous than you imagine. We must go all out.”

Behind Elena followed several powerful martial artists. Rowan could sense that each of them possessed immortal-level strength, representing the company's most elite combat force.

“This is ‘Thor’ Ares, this is ‘Ice Queen’ Selena, and this is ‘Sword Saint’ Miyamoto,” Elena introduced the powerful figures behind her. “They are all King-level Immortals, and the company’s most trusted warriors.”

The three Immortal-level experts, all of whom had been granted the title of King, nodded to Rowan and Silver Moon in greeting. Although they had concealed their auras well, Rowan could still sense the terrifying power contained within them.

“Now, tell me in detail what you’ve discovered,” Elena went straight to the point, “especially regarding the Dark Servant stronghold.”

Rowan and Silvermoon immediately reported all the information they had gathered to Elena in detail, including the magic array ruins on the deserted island, the battle with the dark servants, and the information on the distribution of strongholds obtained from the memories of the prisoners.

“Based on our analysis, the Dark Servants have at least five major strongholds in this star system,” Silvermoon displayed a distribution map they had drawn, “besides the one we’ve already destroyed, four others are still active.”

“These outposts serve different functions,” Rowan added. “Some are responsible for mind control, some for intelligence gathering, and some for energy aggregation. The most important of them all,” he pointed to a marker on the map, “is this their command center, according to the prisoners’ memories.”

Elena studied the map carefully. "How far is the command center from here?"

“About two hundred kilometers away, on a small planet,” Silvermoon replied. “The defenses there should be very strong, and there may be even higher-level dark minions.”

“Then let’s start here,” Elena made a decisive decision. “Destroy their command center, and the other outposts will lose coordination.”

"But CEO, isn't attacking the command center directly too risky?" Thor Ares questioned. "We don't know enough about the enemy's strength yet."

“There are indeed risks,” Elena acknowledged, “but we don’t have time for a long-term reconnaissance. According to ancient records, the Dark Lord’s resurgence may be progressing faster than we imagine. Every day of delay could lead to more serious consequences.”

“Then let’s attack a smaller stronghold first,” Ice Queen Selena suggested, “and decide on our next move after we gather more intelligence.”

This suggestion was accepted by everyone. Rowan pointed to another marker on the map and said, "This outpost is relatively small, mainly responsible for energy collection. According to the prisoners' memories, there are only a dozen or so servants there, and the defenses are relatively weak."

“Very good, we’ll target this stronghold,” Elena finalized the operation plan. “The objectives of this operation are threefold: destroy the stronghold, obtain more intelligence, and capture prisoners for interrogation.”

"What about the action plan?" Sword Saint Miyamoto inquired about the specific tactical arrangements.

“We’ll split into two groups,” Elena quickly devised a strategy. “Rowan, Silvermoon, and I will take the lead in the frontal assault to draw the enemy’s attention. Ares, Selena, and Miyamoto will flank from the sides to ensure no enemy escapes.”

"Understood," the three King-level Immortal experts replied in unison.

“There’s another very important point,” Elena emphasized, “according to the records, the power of the Dark Servants is corrupting and can affect the mind of anyone who comes into contact with them. Everyone must be careful and not be corrupted by their power.”

As she spoke, Elena took out several special amulets from her person and distributed them to everyone. "These are purification amulets developed by the company, capable of resisting a certain degree of dark corruption. However, their effectiveness is limited, so everyone should still try to avoid direct contact with the enemy's dark energy."

After preparations were completed, the six immediately set off for their target location. Using the company's high-speed aircraft, they arrived at their destination in less than an hour.

This outpost is located on a desolate asteroid, with no visible buildings on the surface, but Rowan's mental probes have revealed a complex underground structure.

“The stronghold is underground,” Rowan reported to the others, “about 500 meters below the surface, with a complex internal structure, containing at least a dozen different areas.” “And the enemy's distribution?” Elena inquired.

“Most are concentrated in the deeper areas, with only a few sentinels on the surface,” Rowan described in detail what he had sensed. “And I sensed strong energy fluctuations; they seem to be performing some kind of ritual.”

"A ritual?" Selena frowned. "Could it be summoning an even more powerful dark being?"

“That’s possible,” Elena’s expression grew even more serious. “We must act immediately; we can’t let them complete the ritual.”

The six quickly split into two groups and began their operation according to the established plan. Elena, Rowan, and Silver Moon stormed in from the front entrance, while the three King-level Immortal experts flanked them from another direction.

The entrance to the outpost was hidden in a natural rock crevice, and would have been difficult to find without the guidance of the prisoners' memories. As they approached the entrance, they were immediately attacked by the sentries.

"Intruders!" Several servants dressed in black robes jumped out from their hiding places, simultaneously unleashing black energy attacks.

"Light of Purification," Elena waved her hand easily, and a golden light instantly dispelled the dark energy, knocking down several sentinels at the same time.

As a powerful being of the King-level Immortal rank, Elena's strength far surpasses that of ordinary dark servants. The laws of light she wields have a natural restraining effect on dark power.

"Keep going," Elena said without stopping, rushing straight into the underground passage.

The underground stronghold was indeed very complex, with winding passages and rooms everywhere. But guided by the prisoners' memories, they quickly found the path to the core area.

“There’s a strong energy fluctuation ahead,” Silvermoon warned. “That should be where they’re performing their ritual.”

When they reached the core area, they were met with a shocking sight. A massive black magic circle was slowly rotating on the ground, with a constantly writhing mass of dark energy suspended at its center. A dozen servants surrounded the circle, chanting some kind of complex incantation.

“They are gathering negative energy,” Elena immediately recognized the nature of the ritual, “This energy will eventually be channeled to a central location to accelerate the resurgence of the Dark Lord.”

“We must stop them immediately,” Rowan realized the gravity of the situation.

But at that moment, the person presiding over the ritual noticed the intruder. This was a being far more powerful than ordinary servants, emanating a thick aura of darkness.

“Foolish lackeys of light,” the dark servant said in a low voice, “you have come too late. The ritual is almost complete. This energy will become nourishment for our master’s resurrection.”

“Then let’s see if you have the ability,” Elena said defiantly, her body radiating intense fluctuations of the Law of Light.

A fierce battle immediately broke out. The dark servants were indeed very powerful, having reached the level of a World Lord, and the dark laws they used had a strong corrupting nature.

“Shadow Devour,” the ritual master unleashed a massive dark tentacle, attempting to drag Elena into the darkness.

But Elena's strength far exceeded her opponent's expectations. "Purify the World with Light," she unleashed a dazzling light, not only dispelling the dark tentacles but also inflicting massive damage on all the surrounding dark minions.

Rowan and Silvermoon were also busy; they took care of the other servants to ensure that Elena could focus on dealing with the ritual master.

"Storm Annihilation," Rowan used a skill he had learned from the Storm King, and a powerful storm instantly swept through half the room.

"Absolute Freeze," Silvermoon's ice attack froze several minions that were trying to escape.

But the Dark Servants were indeed powerful, and they seemed fearless of death, their fighting style extremely frenzied. One severely wounded servant even chose to self-destruct, attempting to take the enemy down with him.

"Watch out for the explosion!" Elena immediately raised her Light Shield to protect the others from the shockwave.

Just then, three Immortal-level experts who had been granted the title of King charged in from another direction. Their arrival immediately changed the balance of the battlefield.

"Thunderous Might!" Ares unleashed a terrifying lightning attack, instantly wiping out a large number of enemies.

"Extreme Ice Storm," Selena's attack resonated with Silver Moon's skills, greatly enhancing the freezing effect.

"Infinite Sword Dance," Miyamoto's swordsmanship is exquisite, and every strike can precisely find the enemy's vital point.

Faced with the combined attack of six powerful figures, the Dark Servants were quickly defeated. But in the final moments, the ritual master made a mad move.

“Even in death, I will fulfill my master’s will,” he began to burn his own life force, trying to forcefully complete the ritual.

“Stop him,” Elena realized the danger. “If he succeeds, the gathered energy will be immediately transferred away.”

All six attacked simultaneously, but it was too late. The ritual master successfully activated the teleportation array, and a large amount of negative energy disappeared into the spatial rift.

“Damn it, they still got their way,” Ares said angrily.

“It’s alright, at least we prevented more energy from accumulating,” Elena reassured her. “And the base was completely destroyed.”

After the battle, they began searching the stronghold for intelligence. In the ritual officiant's room, Rowan discovered a large number of documents and record crystals.

“Here’s a map showing the distribution of outposts across the entire star system,” Rowan said excitedly, “and also their operational plans and timelines.”

“Excellent,” Elena immediately reviewed the intelligence. “Based on this information, we can formulate a more effective strike plan.”

Silvermoon also made an important discovery: "There are records here about the destinations of the energy transfers; it seems they sent all the collected energy to the same place."

(End of this chapter)