Chapter 543: Chapter 543: The Mages of Kamar-Taj

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If only the leg had been torn from the body, there might still have been hope despite the massive blood loss.

But once the head was separated from the neck, there was no point discussing hemorrhaging anymore.

That was simply death.

Yet there was no terror or pain on that beautiful face.

Only confusion.

Confusion toward everything.

Those wide-open eyes looked just like they had during intimate moments in bed, when the girl would gaze at him full of questions, quietly waiting for answers without ever urging him.

Only now...

No matter what he said, she would never hear the answer again.

Even though doubts about whether all this was real still flooded Superman’s mind, his body had already reacted instinctively, lunging forward with a punch aimed at the Void.

But the Void—whose speed and reflexes matched or perhaps even surpassed his own—fled first.

Superman did not pursue.

Instead, he remained where the remains lay, standing stiffly with raised arms.

The familiar scent flooding his nose, the hormonal traces stimulating his superhuman senses, all confirmed one thing:

This corpse was not fake.

He slowly dropped to his knees and picked up the severed head.

The touch against his fingertips, the cosmetics she habitually used, the dyed color of her hair—more and more evidence pointed toward the same conclusion.

Before his super-brain’s perfect rationality could fully process it, he had already pulled the head into his arms and let out a hoarse howl rather than tears.

By this point, the disguise on his face could no longer hold. His appearance gradually reverted to its original form.

After all, it had merely been altered through conscious muscular control, not permanent transformation.

But he no longer cared about any of that.

His mind was filled entirely with the future the girl should have had.

Who still cared about maintaining a fake face anymore?

She had yet to win her future Academy Award. Countless classic films and unforgettable roles still awaited her.

But because of him, had her life ended right before its brightest moment arrived?

True pain did not produce tears.

The kind of agony that ripped through the heart could genuinely tear a person apart.

The Earth still rotated. The sun and moon still rose and set as always.

Yet to him, the entire world had already collapsed.

For the first time, he experienced a state where his mind held no thoughts at all—only an involuntary howl clawing out from his throat.

The surrounding mages and X-Men were mostly bewildered.

They couldn’t understand why the man in the red-and-blue suit had fallen to his knees screaming, nor why the Void had suddenly stopped attacking.

So many had died in New York today, yet he hadn’t mourned them.

And now he knelt for a single person.

Was the dead woman someone he knew?

Everyone present shared the same confusion.

Even Quicksilver, who seemed closest to Superman, couldn’t understand.

But under these circumstances, he didn’t dare urge the man to continue attacking the Void.

That raw, agonized howl—despite being neither sonic attack nor magic—froze everyone in place.

At the same time, Kamar-Taj’s distinctive circular portal arrays opened across one corner of the battlefield.

At last, the strongest order of mages under the Sorcerer Supreme had arrived.

Leading them was an elderly white-bearded man wearing a red robe trimmed in gold and a ceremonial crown.

The instant he appeared, he cast an illusion barrier over the area where the Kamar-Taj mages emerged, concealing them from outside sight while still allowing them to observe the battlefield.

Behind him stood mages of every imaginable appearance—tall, short, fat, thin, black, white, yellow, brown.

Their one shared trait was relatively uniform clothing:

Monk-like robes resembling Eastern Buddhist martial monks, though lacking the draped kasaya.

Only one person differed from the disciple-level mages around him.

He wore a dark blue robe and a crimson Cloak of Levitation that kept him hovering above the ground.

The Eye of Agamotto hanging on his chest clearly marked him as a prime candidate to become the next Sorcerer Supreme. Otherwise, he would never possess Kamar-Taj’s most important inherited relic.

Tony Stark.

The man who should have become Iron Man in another future.

Mage Tony Stark appeared far more composed than the frivolous playboy the outside world knew—a man constantly cursing and chasing women.

He knew how important today’s battle was, but he hadn’t been able to arrive immediately.

He had first needed to assist his master, the Ancient One, in retrieving the Book of the Vishanti—the supreme artifact of their magical lineage.

As he floated out of the portal, the glowing ring behind him vanished with near-perfect precision, closing just behind the teasing flutter of the Cloak of Levitation.

That level of control was one reason the Ancient One’s other disciples accepted his right to bear the Eye of Agamotto.

But the moment he arrived on the battlefield, he heard a man’s grief-stricken howl.

And somehow, the voice sounded familiar.

Looking carefully, he saw a man dressed like Superman from the comics or films, clutching a severed head while screaming.

That face resembled someone he knew, though it seemed to be constantly shifting.

And the head...

It belonged to that man’s girlfriend.

Charlize Theron.

"W.T.F.!"

Even while dressed in full sorcerer attire, Tony Stark couldn’t help swearing aloud as he stepped forward, intending to investigate further.

But his master stopped him.

At that same moment, a pillar of light as thick as a human body descended from the heavens beside the Kamar-Taj mages.

Thunder boomed as a mature and beautiful blonde woman in luxurious classical attire emerged from the light.

"Queen Frigga."

The Ancient One immediately greeted the ally he had invited with formal courtesy.

"Sorcerer Supreme."

Frigga, Queen of Asgard, solemnly returned the greeting before asking:

"Is my assistance alone truly enough? The All-Father is already prepared as well."

"The All-Father’s lifespan cannot withstand the coming battle, so his aid is unnecessary. But I do require Your Majesty’s mastery of magic to serve as part of the Vishanti Formation alongside me."

"Then please command me as you wish."

Frigga lightly swept her hands outward.

The noble garments vanished in radiant light, replaced by metallic battle armor.

Though hidden behind illusion magic, the Void still sensed Kamar-Taj’s arrival.

But he made no move to stop the distant mages.

Instead, he simply stared smugly at Superman, who had screamed himself hoarse into silence.

This was the only enemy he truly considered dangerous.

"So?" the Void said. "Are you going to fly backward around the Earth and reverse time now?"

"To be honest, that would only give me another chance to kill the girl again. With my powers, you can’t save anyone."

"This day must be terrible for you."

"Because I can taste the despair in your heart, and it’s more exquisite than I ever imagined. Honestly, I’m not the kind of being that feeds on emotions..."

"But somehow, I think I’m getting addicted to it. Ha!"

The kneeling man’s howls gradually stopped.

It was as if the sound had become lodged in his throat.

Then came laughter.

At first restrained chuckling.

Then quiet laughter.

Then uncontrollable roaring laughter.

There was no joy in it whatsoever.

It sounded just as heart-rending as his screams.

When he raised his head again, his original face had fully returned.

Blood tears streamed from his eyes. His pupils glowed crimson. His face had become deathly pale.

He wore the expression of a man crying—

Yet what came from him was laughter.

Even as bloody tears ran into his mouth, the laughter did not stop.

He merely wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, smearing crimson across his face like a grotesque painted smile.

That ominous laughter and horrifying expression gave even the Void an uneasy feeling.

For a moment, he genuinely didn’t know how to react to the man dressed as Superman.

"What are you laughing at?" the Void demanded. "Have you gone insane?"

"Why so serious?"

One question.

And the battle resumed.

The severed head was gently laid back on the ground.

But the man charging forward no longer carried Superman’s restraint.

His very first punch came with a bizarre tearing sound, slicing through space itself—

—and ending with an iron fist smashing into the Void’s face hard enough to warp it completely out of shape.

The Void was blasted away, crashing through three skyscrapers before finally stopping himself in midair.

Through the gaping holes in the buildings, he glared viciously at the man opposite him.

He had thought he’d discovered a weakness in his enemy’s heart.

Instead—

he had merely flipped the switch that removed the limiter.

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