Inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s office, when it was Loki's turn to speak, he too took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and said, "As humanity's staunchest ally, the eternal support of the Nine Realms, Asgard, of course, backs Earth in this righteous endeavor..."
"Alright, we have the outcome and the motive. Now, what's left is the methodology. How do you plan to do it?"
The other three exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned to Loki. Feeling a chill down his spine under their gaze, Loki touched his cheek and asked, "What's wrong? Did I say something amiss?"
"Do you Asgardians always speak so briefly and candidly in meetings?" Nick asked very diplomatically.
After a slight pause, Loki responded, "My statement was already on the longer side. If Thor were here, he'd only say three words: 'How to proceed?'"
All three heaved a collective sigh, and Schiller lamented, "Asgard is indeed a place of simple customs, a pity for the lord of the Nine Realms."
Loki shifted in his seat, giving Schiller a sidelong glance, "Or perhaps, you're contemplating using the energy of the World Tree?"
"Can we utilize it?" Schiller's eyes lit up instantly, and the other two looked at Loki with concern. Loki, folding his arms, said, "It's not that we can't, but using the energy here would bind you to the same fate as Asgard."
Immediately, the three either began studying the ceiling or the table in detail. Loki snorted coldly, "I never imagined I'd be the one with the highest moral ground in a meeting."
"So, is there a way to bypass them, both absorbed with the Power of Belief, and handle this ourselves?" Schiller queried.
"In fact, if we can trace the source of the Power of Belief and find that conduit, we could intercept this power, just like we did with Knull's," Strange explained with more insight into the underlying principles. "Earth's magical defense network essentially acts as a barrier designed to intercept various powers."
"It prevents the invasion of demon gods because, fundamentally, these entities are composed of energy, and the magical defense network can capture all sorts of energies. If the energy can't infiltrate, neither can the demon gods."
"If we locate this conduit and connect it to the magical defense network, could we use the network to intercept these energies?" Nick proposed.
"Theoretically, this is the most straightforward and quickest method. Moreover, the magical defense network doesn't only intercept forces; it can also extract them actively," Strange introduced a new concept. "Those demon gods that vanish upon hitting the magical defense aren't destroyed but rather have their energy directly siphoned by the network."
"Many powerful demon gods are reluctant to assault Earth directly for this reason. Once you actively touch Earth's magical defense, it's akin to handing over your home address to the network, and to the Sorcerer Supreme."
"Demon gods like Dormammu and Mephisto, whose dimensions are guarded, cannot have their power drawn by these bizarre energy channels, but many demon gods lack such defenses."
"In the era when The Ancient One was the Sorcerer Supreme, most demon gods, upon touching the magical defense network, had much of their power drained, weakening them. This is why The Ancient One could deal with them so effortlessly," Strange emphasized, highlighting the network's potency.
The Earth's magical defense network can be understood as a system enveloping Earth, allowing only Sorcerer Supreme-approved energies. Once demon gods' energies plug in, the network logs their access data, enabling the Sorcerer Supreme to reverse-infiltrate their dimension, remotely draw energy, and then confront them directly.
"The only issue now," Schiller pondered, "is locating the conduit transmitting these Powers of Belief." He then added, "Based on Stark's behavior, something definitive occurred in Space."
"If I'm not mistaken, it might be related to Peter, meaning the Power of Belief could be originating from outside our Space, complicating the search," Schiller said, frowning.
"No, that actually makes it easier," Strange countered unexpectedly. "Although we can't freely traverse between Spaces, someone can."
"Who?" Nick inquired.
"The Ancient One."
Ten minutes later, a figure in a yellow robe descended into the room. In a moment, a magical glow brighter than light itself surrounded them, and The Ancient One's voice, ethereal, came from afar.
"Where to strike, and how many to take down?"
With that, the mystical aura shattered. The Ancient One appeared, dusting off a speck of dust on their robe, and asked, "Why have you summoned me just now?"
"The situation is as follows..." Strange began explaining the current circumstances to The Ancient One. After listening, The Ancient One nodded, remarking, "Involving multiple Spaces? That's quite unusual."
This was the first time Schiller had heard the term "multiple Spaces" from a native of this world; others generally referred to the realm beyond as "above Space."
When Strange questioned the term, The Ancient One elaborated, "The realm beyond isn't 'above' Space, nor are Spaces stacked in any systematic order. You might refer to the realm beyond as 'infinite,' and beyond that infinity lies an even greater expanse."
Having understood the structure of Marvel's Space, Schiller knew that 'multiple Spaces' was indeed not the limit; there existed higher realms like Ultra Space, Omnipotent Space, and so on.
Fortunately, Stark wasn't there, or he would have dug deep for answers. But those present didn't overly fret about these conceptual questions. At that moment, The Ancient One spoke again:
"Morlun Family? I recall that I might have eliminated one of the members of this clan before, right here in New York. Just before his demise, he seemed to have been eroded by some force. Could it be the special function of the Bat Totem?"
After speaking, she paused, reminiscing, and then continued, "Previously, I did indeed lend a hand to that nascent Totem. It still owes me, but if I could get some Power of Belief, it wouldn't be a bad deal."
"I can help you search for the Morlun Family's location in the multiverse, but whether we can find their channel for transmitting faith, and whether this channel can indeed be connected to the defense network, is currently uncertain," The Ancient One explained.
Although Strange and the others were fairly confident, they didn't make absolute statements. After all, they believed that finding the channel and connecting it was already the most challenging step in this plan. As long as they could successfully connect the faith channel, extracting belief would be a matter of moments.
However, after The Ancient One left, Schiller remembered something. He asked Strange, "What if The Ancient One finds the place and can't resist wiping them out?"
Strange's eyes widened in shock before he hurriedly took out his mobile phone and said to The Ancient One, "Master, you must restrain yourself! Don't kill them, please hold back!"
A few minutes later, The Ancient One relayed some good news. She had located the Morlun Family's base and had managed not to annihilate them.
Everyone in the office stood up. Strange opened a Portal, and they arrived near the energy core of Kamar-Taj, waiting.
Soon, the magical defense network lit up, and a golden meteor streaked across the sky from a distance, merging into the defense network.
The four stood in a row, their eyes filled with anticipation, watching as a golden line gradually illuminated the magic defense network.
Meanwhile, in Eddie's apartment, several symbiotes surrounded Venom, and Venom was guiding Eddie's mind into meditation.
Symbiotes could only rely on their hosts, so he had to lead Eddie in responding. Fortunately, Eddie, originally engaged in literary work, had a rich enough imagination and quickly got into the right state.
As they had cooperated many times before, they saw a swarm of shadowy bats. Watching, Venom realized something was wrong. He said with some confusion, "Why has the golden light on these bats become so much fainter?"
"Last time, didn't these golden glows already cover more than half of their wings?" Eddie also felt something was off. He continued, "Moreover, the accumulation rate has slowed down significantly."
Realizing there might be an abnormal situation, Venom abandoned his previous conservative attempts. He directly controlled Eddie's consciousness, influencing the swarm of bats.
Then, he heard the familiar praying sounds, only this time, much weaker. Venom also detected a faint exhaustion in these sounds.
Unaware of what had transpired, Venom, assuming it was just his misconception, began putting his plan into action. Unexpectedly, the response from the other side was no longer as swift but rather hesitant. seaʀᴄh thё NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Not until Venom let this Power of Belief cover almost all the bats, leaving only the tips of their wings, did the golden light surge.
At that moment, Venom exerted himself, plundering all the Power of Belief, with a vast amount of energy flooding into Venom and Eddie's bodies. The other symbiotes touched Eddie with their symbiote tendrils, transferring the excess energy to themselves.
After repeating this process several times, Venom noticed the golden light becoming increasingly scarce, almost non-existent. He guessed that this might be because he had drained the stored Power of Belief on the other side. If so, he might as well be thorough.
Venom used the energy he had obtained from Knull, spreading it over the group of bats. The people on the other side seemed to realize that someone was contesting the ownership of the Bat Totem, becoming immediately nervous.
They invested more Power of Belief, but Venom absorbed it without exception, until the last faint, nearly colorless golden glow also completely vanished. Only then did Venom finally let out a satisfied belch, while the other symbiotes lay sprawled on the sofa, too full to move.
Near the energy core of Kamar-Taj, Strange lifted his staff. The golden line followed the center of the magic defense network and fell upon his staff. At that moment, a starry sky covered the surrounding space.
Everyone saw the swarm of black bats in flight. Strange said solemnly, "The extraction function is about to be activated!"
At that moment, the golden thin line thickened, and the energy on it surged more violently. Schiller watched the line intently, like a farmer awaiting his bountiful harvest.
However, despite the energy surging for quite some time, there was no Power of Belief transmitted. Strange paused, puzzled, and said, "Wait, there might be a problem. Let me adjust."
After another attempt, still, no Power of Belief came through. Soon, The Ancient One appeared, her voice filled with confusion, "What's going on? The Power of Belief on the other side seems to have disappeared?"
She exchanged a glance with Strange, and with a wave of her hand, the surrounding space changed again, and countless lines were revealed.
Then, everyone saw that on this main energy channel, two thin branches split off to the left and right.
At that moment, the last bit of Power of Belief, following the right branch, vanished into nothingness. Then, across the spatial divide, they heard a few belches filled with satisfaction.
Schiller immediately understood what had happened. In the grand hall of Kamar-Taj, Schiller's roar echoed:
"Someone is stealing the electricity!!!