I'm starting a mythology craze at Marvel

Chapter 216 The God of Death in the Dark
"You are in such a plight, Holy Son of the Church of Dagon. If I hadn't helped you, you would have died before your master could make a move."

A sneer from the shadows made Strange, who had just escaped, secretly alert.

Strange stopped abruptly, feeling a sense of foreboding.

He quickly looked around, but the night was dark, with only sparse starlight shining through the clouds, adding a bit of eerie color to the dark street.

The sneer seemed to come from all directions at the same time, yet it seemed to only echo in his heart, making him unable to determine the source of the sound.

"Who? Come out!" Strange shouted in a low voice, while secretly mobilizing the strength in his body to prepare for a possible attack.

His eyes shuttled through the darkness, trying to capture any unusual movement.

The shadow seemed to be unconcerned by this provocation, and another low and teasing laugh sounded: "Hehe, don't be nervous, Lord Saint. I have no intention of becoming your enemy, at least not now."

As the words fell, a blurry figure slowly walked out of a deep doorway at the corner of the street.

The man was wearing a black cloak, his face completely obscured by the shadow of the hood, leaving only a pair of eyes flickering with a faint light, like two cold stars in the abyss, staring directly at Strange.

Strange frowned, and an indescribable chill surged in his heart.

This power... It's not like he hasn't sensed a similar aura before, but it was usually the depth and antiquity of his master, Cthulhu.

The person in front of him seemed to have some subtle connection with those ancient beings, yet he was completely different.

"Who are you? What is your purpose?" Strange tried to remain calm and attempted to capture useful information from the other party's words.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that we have a common goal." The figure in the shadow slowly took a few steps forward. Each step seemed to narrow the distance between him and Strange, while also deepening his uneasiness.

"The awakening of Cthulhu is both an opportunity and a challenge for you, and I may be a beacon of light for you on this road." Strange sneered, obviously skeptical of this sudden "ally": "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I know secrets that you don't know, and I hold power that you can use." The voice in the shadow was full of unquestionable confidence, "For example, the unknown power you just relied on, its source, and how it is closely related to the awakening of Cthulhu."

Strange's pupils shrank slightly when he heard this.

He was indeed confused and puzzled by the sudden power, and the person in front of him seemed to have the key to answering it all.

But at the same time, he also knew that cooperating with unknown forces was tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger.

"What are your conditions?" Strange asked cautiously, already thinking of possible countermeasures in his mind. "It's simple. We need each other's strength to achieve our respective goals. You seek the favor of Cthulhu, and I... have my own plan."

The figure in the shadows smiled slightly, and that smile looked particularly strange in the night. "Of course, you can choose to refuse, but don't forget who gave you everything you have now, including your life." Strange was silent for a moment, and finally nodded slowly.

He understood that no matter whether the person in front of him was an enemy or a friend, he had no way out at this moment.

Only by moving forward can we find our own way of survival. "Very good, Lord Saint, then, our cooperation will begin from now on.

The figures in the shadows clapped softly, as if foreshadowing the beginning of an unknown and dangerous journey.

With the cooperation reached, Strange and the mysterious black-robed man began a delicate alliance. Although they were full of vigilance and suspicion towards each other, they both knew that a temporary alliance was necessary in the face of the common goal of preventing Cthulhu from awakening.

"Tell me, what is the source of that power?" Strange asked straight to the point. He was eager to understand the unknown power that helped him escape from the Avengers and Jack's pursuit.

The man in black robes smiled slightly, as if he was satisfied with Strange's eagerness. "That is a gift from the abyss, an ancient power that escaped from the place where Cthulhu slept. It was originally sealed in the endless void, but as Cthulhu's awakening approached, the seal began to loosen, and this power also leaked into this world."

When Strange heard this, a hint of greed and desire flashed in his eyes.

He knew very well that if he could master this power, he would gain unprecedented powerful abilities, enough to make his status in the Church of Cthulhu soar, and even directly gain Cthulhu's favor.

"So, how do I use this power?" Strange asked.

The man in black robes slowly approached and whispered something in Strange's ear.

As the words fell, Strange's expression became more solemn, and complex emotions flashed in his eyes.

"Are you sure this won't lead to a greater disaster?" Strange asked hesitantly.

The black-robed man chuckled, seemingly disdainful of Strange's worries: "Disaster? That's nothing but the wail of the weak. In the face of absolute power, everything will turn to dust, and you, Lord Saint, will be the pioneer leading this change."

Under the instigation of the black-robed man, Strange finally made up his mind. Under the instigation of the black-robed man, Strange's eyes became more determined. He knew that he had no way out and could only find a way to survive by moving forward. He took a deep breath, and the ancient power from the abyss surged in his body again, making him feel stronger than ever before.

He raised his head suddenly, his eyes were like torches, staring directly at the Avengers and Jack in front of him. His voice was deep and powerful: "Do you think you can stop me with these? How ridiculous. Now, let me show you my real power!"

As the words fell, black mist surged around Strange's body again, and strange lights flickered in the mist, as if countless eyes were watching everything around him. His figure became blurred, and he shuttled through the night like a ghost, so fast that the Avengers and Jack were caught off guard.

He attacked Jack first, a black beam shot out from Strange's hand and hit Jack's chest. However, Jack did not sit still and wait for death. He quickly raised his hands, and a yellow light overflowed from his palms, forming a fierce collision with the black beam. The two intertwined in the air, erupting with a deafening explosion and the distortion of space and reality.

Seeing this, the Avengers attacked Strange one after another, trying to distract him. However, Strange seemed to have infinite power. He easily dodged their attacks and fought back with that mysterious power. Each attack was accompanied by black mist and strange light, which made the Avengers feel unprecedented fear.

Natasha tried to use her agility and wisdom to find Strange's flaws, but Strange's speed and strength were far beyond her imagination, and she couldn't get close at all. Matt waved his blade, trying to suppress Strange in close combat, but Strange seemed to be able to predict his movements and always managed to dodge cleverly. Hawkeye kept using arrows to interfere with Strange, but Strange seemed to have an invisible shield, and the arrows couldn't penetrate his defense at all.

Under Strange's fierce attack, the Avengers and Jack gradually fell into a passive position. They tried their best to resist, but their defense seemed so fragile in the face of this powerful dark force. They were knocked down by the black energy waves again and again, and struggled to get up again and again, but they could not cause any substantial damage to Strange.

Strange looked at the tenacious figures of the crowd and couldn't help but feel a little respect in his heart. But he quickly regained his indifference and said, "You are indeed very brave, but it is in vain. Cthulhu's power is endless, and you can't resist it at all."

After saying that, Strange waved his staff again, and a black energy wave surged out like a huge wave, completely submerging the Avengers and Jack. They tried their best to resist, but in the face of this powerful dark force, their defense was useless. They were knocked away by the black energy wave again and again, and finally fell to the ground powerlessly, unable to move.

Strange stopped and looked down at everyone, his voice full of the pride and arrogance of a winner: "Look, this is what you call courage and wisdom. In front of the power of Cthulhu, you are just insignificant ants."

However, just as he was about to deliver the final blow to everyone, a deeper and more ancient power suddenly surged in his body. This power belonged neither to him nor to this world. It seemed to come from another dimension, carrying an indescribable terror and majesty.

Strange's face suddenly changed. He felt that this power was gradually eroding his consciousness and making him unable to control himself. He tried to resist, but the power surged like a torrent, completely submerging him.

Under everyone's horrified gaze, Strange's body began to undergo strange changes. His eyes became hollow and deep, as if he could see into another world. His body gradually swelled, and strange patterns appeared on his skin, as if countless tentacles were crawling inside him.

Eventually, Strange completely lost himself and turned into a giant Deep One.

This huge deep diver had a distorted and terrifying body, its skin was the blue-black color of the deep sea, and it was covered with disgusting suckers and tentacles, which waved in the air as if they could capture every tiny fluctuation in the air. Strange's face had disappeared, replaced by a huge mouth full of fangs and tentacles, which continuously emitted a low and terrifying roar.

The Avengers and Jack watched this scene in horror. They had never seen such a terrifying existence. Natasha tried to use her agility to avoid the attack of the Deep One, but the tentacles seemed to have self-awareness and attacked her flexibly and quickly. She could only barely dodge, but her clothes were already stained by the slime left by the tentacles.

Matt swung his blade, trying to cut off the tentacles, but every time the blade collided with the tentacles, there was a teeth-grinding sound, and the tentacles quickly recovered like rubber, and even became more ferocious. Hawkeye's arrows also seemed powerless when facing monsters of this level. The arrows were either easily deflected by the tentacles or distorted by the strange energy field on the Deep Diver, deviating from the target.

Each attack of the Deep One carries destructive power. The Avengers and Jack can only try their best to resist, but their power seems so small in front of such a monster.

They were knocked down again and again, and struggled to stand up again and again, but despair was written all over everyone's face.

Just as everyone was about to be completely defeated by the Deep Diver and the atmosphere of despair was pervasive, Jack suddenly burst out with unprecedented powerful strength. His eyes suddenly lit up, as if two flames were burning, and a golden light surged around his body, which formed a sharp contrast with the dark atmosphere around the Deep Diver.

"I can't give up like this!" Jack gritted his teeth, his voice full of determination and unyielding. He knew that facing such a terrible enemy, escape was impossible, and only fighting would give him a glimmer of hope.

As Jack's power exploded, his body seemed to be lifted up by an invisible force, and he shuttled lightly in the air, avoiding the deadly tentacles of the Deep Diver. At the same time, his hands began to condense golden energy balls, which drew brilliant trajectories in the air and flew towards the Deep Diver.

The golden energy ball collided with the tentacles of the Deep One, making a deafening explosion. Every collision would cause the Deep One to roar in pain, and the tentacles would temporarily lose their ability to attack. Jack took the opportunity to lead the Avengers to flee far away and find a safe refuge.

"Hurry! Follow me!" Jack shouted back as he flew, his voice full of anxiety and encouragement. Seeing this, the Avengers cheered up and followed closely.

Led by Jack, they walked through narrow streets, bypassed dense buildings, and finally came to an abandoned underground warehouse. This used to be a storage room of a certain company, but now it has been abandoned for many years and no one cares about it. The entrance of the warehouse was blocked by a heavy iron door, but Jack pushed it open effortlessly and led everyone into the warehouse.

The warehouse was dark and cold, but it became their safe haven. Everyone sat down against the wall, panting, trying to calm their fear and tension. Jack stood in the middle of the warehouse, his eyes firm, as if he was still thinking about how to fight the Deep One.

"What should we do?" Natasha spoke first, her voice trembling. She knew very well that the power of the Deep Ones was too strong and they could not confront them head-on.

Matt chimed in, "Yeah, Jack, what's your plan?"

Jack was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "We must find a way to restrain the power of the Deep One. Otherwise, we will never be able to get rid of its threat."

"But what should we do?" Hawkeye asked, his eyes full of confusion and helplessness.

"Let's talk about it after we go back first."

Jack shook his head helplessly. The King in Yellow had only given him so much power, and there was nothing he could do.

(End of this chapter)