"You are no longer useful!"
Lucien's cold voice echoed across the ruined square. His gaze swept over everyone present, not just T'Chaka, but also Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
Now that he possessed the Space Stone and knew the locations of the remaining Infinity Stones, all his previous concerns had beco aningless.
"Death!"
The mont Lucien activated Law Following Speech, the effect was absolute.
T'Chaka, T'Challa, Ramonda, Shuri, along with the royal guards and surrounding citizens, collapsed instantly. Their bodies hit the ground lifeless, their breaths extinguished in a single mont.
Before anyone else could react, two grotesque thorns burst out from Lucien's lower back and shot forward.
They pierced straight through Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
Their bodies rapidly shriveled, flesh collapsing inward as if drained dry. Within seconds, they crumbled into dust, scattering across the ruined ground.
Lucien raised his left hand, now wrapped in a swirling mist of souls, and reached downward.
Countless souls were forcibly dragged from the ruins, screaming silently as they were pulled into his grasp. One after another, they were absorbed into the vibranium gauntlet, feeding its growth.
At the sa ti, Lucien casually opened the golden interface in front of him.
"Successfully hunted the Son of Destiny, Iron Man Tony Stark. Reward: 4 dice chances, VIP Luck 1."
"Successfully hunted important supporting character Hulk Bruce Banner. Reward: 3 dice chances, Luck 1."
"Minor supporting character Black Panther T'Challa. Reward: Dice 1."
Lucien frowned slightly as he read the results.
Tony Stark counted as a Son of Destiny, yet Bruce Banner did not.
So only the core figures held that status?
Even soone like T'Challa, who had his own story, was classified as minor. The system's standards were strict.
Without hesitation, Lucien rolled the dice.
The glowing interface spun rapidly before stopping.
He used his VIP Luck.
"Death Beam."
"Description: A signature ki technique used by Frieza. Ki is concentrated into the fingertip and released as a high speed, high penetration beam. Its power increases with continuous ki input. Only usable through fingers or toes."
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
A rare offensive ability.
Given his current strength, this attack could likely pierce straight through the planet if he chose to unleash it fully.
He continued and used Banner's normal Luck.
The dice rolled again before settling.
"Hardening 1."
Lucien exhaled lightly.
Not impressive, but not useless either.
His defensive abilities now included Hardening, Iron Body, and Armant Haki. When combined, even he was unsure how durable his body had beco.
Hardening itself was highly versatile. If he wished, he could assimilate entire sections of terrain, similar to an awakened Paracia ability.
Among all the abilities he had gained, Hardening remained one of the most consistently useful.
Closing the interface, Lucien looked around.
The vibranium gauntlet had already devoured all remaining vibranium. Wakanda had been reduced to complete ruin. Thousands of wandering souls filled the air.
Even the smallest fragnts of power were worth taking.
With a thought, Lucien activated the Soul Fruit again.
Every remaining soul was dragged in and absorbed into the gauntlet.
The glove began to shift.
It spread across his body, flowing like liquid tal before solidifying into full golden armor that covered him entirely. The Space Stone embedded in his right middle finger glowed with an intense blue light.
Lucien now resembled a living construct of vibranium.
The armor combined the adaptability of advanced technology with sothing far more sinister, like a living parasite bound to his will.
Only one thought crossed his mind.
Perfect.
Looking down at the destroyed Wakanda, Lucien felt nothing. No guilt, no hesitation.
He clenched his fist and vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared aboard the Helicarrier.
Now, it was ti to harvest the rest.
"Who is that!"
Lucien's sudden appearance startled everyone in the control room.
Encased entirely in vibranium, he looked inhuman.
The tal on his face receded, revealing his expression as he looked toward Nick Fury, along with Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton, who had just entered.
"Where are Thor and Loki?"
His voice was calm, but carried an edge.
He had already scanned Earth and found no trace of them.
"Ten minutes ago, a rainbow beam took them away," Nick Fury replied, lowering his weapon.
"That would be the Bifrost," Natasha Romanoff added.
Lucien glanced upward, as if looking through space itself.
Toward Heimdall.
Perhaps everything happening here was already being watched.
A wet, tearing sound broke the silence.
Sharp thorns shot out again, piercing through Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, and the others.
Their bodies burned away from within, collapsing into ash as their souls were absorbed.
Silence returned.
Lucien reopened the interface.
"Son of Destiny: Captain Arica Steve Rogers. Reward: VIP Luck."
"Important supporting character Natasha Romanoff. Reward: Luck."
"Minor supporting character Nick Fury. Reward: Dice."
Lucien smirked faintly.
So only the central trio held true value.
He rolled again.
Using VIP Luck.
"Law Following Speech Level 1."
Lucien nodded.
Now Level 3, the ability had beco even more reliable.
He continued with Natasha's Luck.
"Iron Body 1."
Lucien rubbed his forehead.
Hardening, then Iron Body.
His defenses were steadily reaching an absurd level.
Still, there was more to gain.
And more to kill.
Lucien's thoughts turned cold.
Instead of hunting one by one, there was a simpler thod.
Destroy the Earth.
No matter where anyone hid, they would die along with it.
Heroes like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Ant-Man still existed. So had not yet awakened their abilities, but they would.
Villains existed as well, each one a potential source of rewards.
But before that, one obstacle remained.
At Kamar-Taj, a spatial portal opened.
Lucien stepped through.
"You've arrived."
Ancient One stood waiting, a calm expression on her face. Tea had already been prepared, as if she had been expecting him all along.
Lucien was not surprised.
With control over the Ti Stone, she had likely seen countless futures.
The fact that she had not intervened ant this path held significance.
"It seems you already saw this outco," Lucien said, stepping forward. "So why didn't you stop it?"
The Ancient One only sighed softly and gestured for him to sit.
Even in full armor, Lucien moved naturally, the vibranium shifting with perfect flexibility.
"It seems I won't be destroying Earth after all."
He lifted the teacup, swirling the liquid inside without drinking.
His eyes scanned her carefully.
"You're injured."
She did not deny it.
Instead, her voice remained calm.
"Let us make a deal. The Ti Stone, in exchange for Earth."
I've been dealing with exams lately, so updates have been a bit slower than usual.
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