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

Chapter 451 The meaning of fighting!
"The Law of Storms—The Wrath of Nature!"

Rowan suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with a silvery-white light. A sudden gust of wind swept around him, and this was no ordinary wind, but a primal wind imbued with the will of nature.

Dark clouds filled the sky, and thunder rumbled. A fierce wind whipped up rain, engulfing the entire city of Qinglan in a storm.

"This is... a manifestation of the laws of nature?" Sakaar's expression finally changed. "You can actually manipulate the power of nature? This level of understanding of the laws requires at least a cosmic level of expertise!"

“I told you, your intelligence is too outdated,” Rowan’s voice echoed through the storm, carrying an irresistible authority. “Now, let me show you the real storm.”

He stretched out his right hand, and lightning in the sky seemed to be summoned, striking towards Sakar. At the same time, the gale transformed into countless sharp blades, attacking from all angles. The torrential rain was not ordinary rain, but water blades compressed to the extreme, each drop possessing the power of a bullet.

"Damn it!" Sakaar gritted his teeth and went all out to defend. White flames formed a shield around him, but under the onslaught of the storm, the shield began to crack.

Lightning struck the shield with deafening explosions. Wind blades sliced ​​through the shield's surface, leaving numerous wounds. Water blades fired in rapid succession, like a machine gun, causing the shield to teeter on the brink of collapse.

“This can’t go on,” Sakar realized, understanding that passive defense was tantamount to certain death. “We must counterattack!”

He abruptly contracted his shield, then unleashed his full power. His fiery wings flapped, propelling him skyward, heading straight for Rowan. He needed to engage in close combat, as ranged attacks would be significantly weakened in the storm.

"Well done!" Rowan advanced instead of retreating, charging towards Sakar as well.

The two met in mid-air, their fists and palms clashing, unleashing a blinding light. The energy of the storm and the flames exploded at the point of impact, the resulting shockwave shaking the surrounding buildings.

boom! boom! boom!
The two sped up, leaving countless afterimages in the air. Each collision generated massive energy fluctuations, causing the entire city hall to tremble.

Thor had to strengthen his defenses because the aftershocks of the battle were too terrifying; even a single leak of energy was enough to severely injure a martial artist at the early stage of the Stellar level.

“Their battle has transcended the stellar level,” Hong said with difficulty. “This intensity is approaching the cosmic level.”

“Especially Rowan,” Thor added, “he’s only a sixth-tier Stellar-level being, yet his combat strength is comparable to a peak ninth-tier Stellar-level being. That leap is simply unbelievable.”

In the air, the battle entered a fierce stage.

Sakar unleashed a variety of secret techniques, transforming the flames into various forms—dragons, phoenixes, tigers—each possessing astonishing power. But Rowan's storm was equally ever-changing, transforming into hurricanes, tornadoes, and torrential rain, directly confronting the flames.

"Kara Arcane - Roar of the Flame Dragon!" Sakaar thrust out his hands, and a gigantic fire dragon roared forth, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at Rowan.

"Storm Secret Technique - Heavenly Dragon Break!" Rowan also formed a hand seal, and a silver dragon condensed from the storm rushed forward.

Two colossal dragons collided in mid-air, flames and storms devouring and dissolving each other. Finally, they exploded simultaneously, turning into countless fragments of energy.

The battle lasted a full ten minutes, leaving both fighters severely exhausted. Sakar's white flames began to dim, clearly indicating a lack of energy. While Rowan appeared relaxed on the surface, he was actually nearing his limit.

“It’s time to end this,” Rowan took a deep breath, preparing to unleash his final move.

While cultivating on Shennong Peak, he not only improved his understanding of the laws of storms but also comprehended a completely new profound technique. This technique incorporated his insights into nature, and its power far surpassed any of his previous moves.

“Sakar, take my final blow,” Rowan’s voice boomed through the storm. “If you can take it, I concede. If not, then surrender.”

"Hmph, anyone can talk big," Sakar sneered, but a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes. "Come on, let me see your ultimate move!"

Rowan slowly raised his hands, and the storm in the sky began to gather. All the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning converged on a single point in his hands. That point grew brighter and brighter, finally transforming into a silver sphere the size of a fist.

But the energy contained within this sphere of light made Sakar feel threatened with death.

"This is... a Core of Law?" Sakaar's eyes widened. "You can actually condense a Core of Law? This is a technique that only those at the cosmic level can master!"

"While I'm not yet at the cosmic level, I can manage it even in special circumstances," Rowan said calmly. "I call this move—Storm Judgment."

He gently pushed the silver orb of light out. The orb wasn't moving fast, but it distorted space wherever it passed.

Sakar felt an unprecedented fear. He knew that if he took the blow head-on, he would surely die. But if he dodged it, the attack would fall on the city below, causing even greater disaster.

"Damn it. Am I really going to end up here?" Sakar gritted his teeth and made his decision.

He burned with all his life force, and the flames on his body turned pure gold. This was a forbidden secret technique of the Kara people, burning life in exchange for a brief moment of ultimate power.

"Even if I die, I'll take you down with me!" Sakaar roared, "Kara Forbidden Technique—Solar Collapse!"

He transformed into a miniature sun, facing the silver sphere of light.

boom! ! !
The moment the two energies collided, the entire city of Qinglan felt the tremor. A massive mushroom cloud of energy rose above the city government building, its blinding light making it impossible to look directly at it.

The shockwave spread outwards, shattering windows in buildings within a radius of several kilometers. Fortunately, Thor's timely protection prevented Hong and himself from being affected.

When the light faded and the dust settled, the roof of the city government building had completely disappeared, and the entire building was missing ten floors.

Rowan floated in the air, bearing multiple wounds, but was generally unharmed. Meanwhile, Sakar had become a charred corpse, plummeting from the sky.

“It’s over,” Rowan said wearily.

He flew down and caught Sakar's body, landing gently on the ruins. Although Sakar was an enemy, his fighting spirit was respectable, and Rowan didn't want his body to be smashed to pieces.

"Rowan!" Thor brought Hong Fei over. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a bit exhausted," Rowan checked himself over. "I'll recover after a few days of rest."

"That move you just made was incredibly powerful," Hong said, shocked. "I felt like I wouldn't have had a chance to fight back against that attack."

“That’s my trump card, I won’t use it unless absolutely necessary,” Rowan said. “It’s too costly and not perfect enough. If Sakar had chosen to dodge instead of fighting head-on, I might not have won.”

“But he didn’t dodge,” Thor said. “That shows he still had some conscience and didn’t want the attack to hit the city.”

“Yes,” Rowan said, looking at Sakar’s corpse, “though he was an enemy, he was also a warrior.”

Just then, Rowan noticed a storage device on Sakar's person. It was a black bracelet, shimmering faintly. "This is... a spatial storage device," Rowan said, removing the bracelet. "A technological product of the Kara civilization."

He used his mental energy to probe the bracelet and discovered that it contained many things: energy blocks, potions, weapons, and some information and star maps about the Kara civilization.

“These are all valuable spoils of war,” Hong said, “especially the documents, which can help us better understand the Kara civilization.”

“And this,” Rowan said, taking a palm-sized metal plate from his bracelet, “this looks like a communicator from the Kara fleet.”

"A communicator?" Thor's eyes lit up. "Then we can eavesdrop on the Kara fleet's communications?"

“Theoretically, it’s possible,” Rowan nodded, “but it would require specialized technicians to crack it.”

“That’s easy,” Hong said. “Virtual Universe has a dedicated technical department; they should be able to crack it.”

Just as the three were discussing, the sound of an army could be heard in the distance. General Wang Hu arrived with a large number of troops, and they all gasped when they saw the ruins of the city government building.

"Master Luo Wen!" Wang Hu hurried over. "Are you alright?"

“I’m fine, the enemy has been eliminated,” Rowan said. “The most urgent task now is to rescue the wounded in the city and evacuate the civilians.”

“It’s already underway,” Wang Hu reported. “All medical teams have been deployed, and support has been sent from major base cities. Preliminary statistics indicate that the attack on Qinglan City has resulted in approximately 5,000 deaths and over 20,000 injuries.”

Hearing this number weighed heavily on the hearts of all three. Despite their best efforts, so many people had still lost their lives.

“This is war,” Hong said in a deep voice. “In war, casualties are unavoidable. All we can do is minimize our losses and avenge the dead.”

“That’s right,” Rowan nodded. “And while the attack caused casualties, it also gave us valuable intelligence and spoils.”

He showed Wang Hu the spoils he had obtained from Sakar.

“These things are very helpful for our research on the Kara civilization,” Wang Hu said excitedly. “Especially this communicator; if we can crack it, we can track the enemy’s movements.”

“Send these to Federal Headquarters immediately,” Rowan said. “Have the technical department work hard to crack them.”

"Understood!" Wang Hu immediately made the arrangements.

After dealing with these matters, the three prepared to return to the Huaxia base city. But before leaving, Rowan looked down at the city government building.

Although the roof was destroyed, the main structure of the building remained intact. The hundreds of staff members and nearly a thousand evacuees inside were all safe and sound. This was the result of Hong's sacrifice.

“Hong,” Rowan turned to his brother, “thank you. If it weren’t for your desperate protection, no one in this building would have survived.”

“It’s what I should do,” Hong smiled weakly. “As the strong, it’s our responsibility to protect the weak.”

“You did a great job,” Rowan said sincerely. “You are a true hero.”

“We all are,” Thor added. “While this attack caused casualties, the losses would have been far greater if it weren’t for us.”

The three of them smiled at each other, and then flew into the sky side by side.

Behind them, the people of Qinglan City emerged from their shelters, gazing at the three figures in the sky. Although the city had suffered immense destruction and many lives had been lost, seeing these heroes who had protected them rekindled hope in their hearts.

"Thank you!" someone shouted first.

"Thank you!" More people joined in the shout.

"Thank you!" the entire city shouted in the end.

Hearing these cries, the three men smiled with relief. This was the meaning of their fight—to protect the people and their homeland.

On the way back to the Huaxia base city, Rowan once again inspected the spoils he had obtained from Sakar. Besides the communicator and documents, there were also some precious energy crystals and cultivation resources.

"These energy crystals are of very high purity," Rowan observed carefully, "much stronger than those on Earth. If we can figure out how they're made, it will greatly help Earth's energy development."

“Moreover, these cultivation resources are very precious,” Hong said. “That bottle of purple potion, if I’m not mistaken, should be the ‘Fountain of Life’ from the Kara civilization, capable of quickly restoring injuries and energy.”

“That’s perfect for you,” Rowan handed the potion to Hong. “You’re the most seriously injured and need to recover as soon as possible.”

“This is too precious,” Hong said hesitantly.

“Spoils of war are meant for warriors,” Rowan insisted. “Besides, you were seriously wounded protecting the people and deserve the best treatment.”

Hong eventually accepted the medicine, and after taking it, his injuries began to heal at a visible speed.

"It works really well," Hong said in surprise, "far more effective than the best treatments on Earth."

“It seems the Kara civilization truly has a unique understanding of medicine,” Thor said. “Learning these technologies would be a tremendous benefit to Earth.”

"So although the casualties were heavy, it wasn't entirely without gains," Rowan concluded. "We not only repelled the enemy's advance party, but also obtained valuable intelligence and technology. This will be very helpful in the upcoming decisive battle."

All three nodded in agreement.

Upon returning to the Huaxia base city, Luo Wen, Hong, and Lei Shen gave a detailed post-battle report at the command center. Although the battle in Qinglan City was a victory, it also exposed many problems.

“The biggest problem is that we know too little about the Kara civilization,” Elena said, participating in the meeting via holographic projection. “If the advance team is already so powerful, then the main fleet’s strength is unimaginable.”

"Furthermore, our teamwork wasn't smooth enough," Rowan admitted frankly. "If I hadn't arrived in time, Hong might have been in danger. If the three of us could have coordinated better, the battle would have been much easier."

“That’s right,” Hong agreed. “Although we’ve grown up together, our teamwork isn’t quite there yet in a cosmic-level battle.”

“Then for the next while, you all focus on training,” Elena said. “I’ve had the technical department work hard to crack the communicators and data we obtained from Sakar. We’ll let you know immediately if there’s any progress.”

(End of this chapter)