210. Battle of Magic!

"Stark?"

Alex paused, his gaze fixed on the two figures clad in armor with a peculiar expression.

If he wasn't mistaken, the red and yellow classic Iron Man suit belonged to Tony Stark, while the silver metallic suit beside him was likely War Machine, Rhodey.

"Getting chummy with me won't save your life, Francesca," Iron Man's tone was icy. "Drop your weapons and surrender."

"If you were really Stark, I might have had some interest in chatting, but unfortunately, you're not him. I advise you to give up, Shadow King. Toying with these heroes' souls will only make me hit you harder."

While guarding against the X-Men surrounding him, Alex eyed Iron Man and War Machine with a hostile expression.

Tony Stark and Rhodey's ever-burning faces looked intimidating, but Alex knew they weren't the real deal. Iron Man died at the Avengers' base, and Rhodey perished in Las Vegas. The two died miles apart, so how could they possibly be here together?

It was likely the power of abstract magic at play. The Shadow King not only had the ability to control the souls of the dead but could also create conscious, phantom-like entities based on how they appeared in others' memories.

This reminded Alex of the masked battles he had seen in a past life.

"Phantoms created through consciousness, huh? It seems the Shadow King must have seen the deaths of these heroes in the minds of Hydra soldiers, allowing him to recreate such lifelike images."

Alex quickly deduced the enemy's tactics, then coldly looked at Kitty and spoke.

"These illusions can't affect my mind."

"But they can kill your body!" Kitty laughed maniacally.

"Alright, bring it on!"

Alex formed a hand seal with his left hand, while his right hand tightly gripped the black umbrella. His fingers trembled slightly, not from fear or nervousness, but from intense excitement.

In the next moment, the heroes' faces twisted.

These heroes, frozen in their dying moments, stiffly moved their bodies, their faces bearing terrifying smiles. Their eyes were filled with grotesque desire as they looked at Alex. Then, with a roar, Beast leaped high into the air, pouncing towards Alex. His movement seemed to signal the start of the attack, as the rest of the heroes followed suit, charging towards Alex in waves.

"Good timing."

The crimson light shone through the lenses of his bird-beaked mask as Alex slapped his left hand in the air. Suddenly, red chains materialized around Beast.

Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!

Without holding back, the chains, born from the Crimson Dimension, wrapped around Beast's neck. His fierce charge came to an abrupt halt as he was lifted into the air.

"I'll kill you!" Nightcrawler suddenly teleported behind Alex.

But just as he raised his claws to strike at the back of Alex's head, a blinding white light erupted. The powerful force didn't give Nightcrawler any time to react as he was blasted away by the sacred light. Even Cyclops, who was preparing to attack, was affected by the light, rendering him unable to open his eyes. Blinded, he let out cries of pain, unable to unleash his optic blasts for the moment.

"When ambushing, it's best to stay silent."

White feathers gently floated down, accompanied by Alex's taunting words.

Meanwhile, Iron Man and War Machine had also closed in, their barrage of bullets heading straight for Alex. Without even glancing, Alex opened his black umbrella, effortlessly deflecting War Machine's bullet storm.

If this were the old black umbrella, even if it had been modified by the Penguin, it would have been difficult to withstand such an attack. But as a wizard, crafting a few magical items was no big deal. Now, the Bulgarian black umbrella was no ordinary item. The black fabric shimmered with magical symbols like equations, blocking all attacks.

Seeming to anticipate this, Iron Man's thrusters flared blue as he continued his assault, circling around to Alex's side.

Seeing this, Alex tilted his head to dodge a red laser, then released the umbrella handle as Iron Man charged by. In a split second, Alex spun around, brushing Iron Man's suit with his left hand before swiftly grabbing the umbrella handle again.

As Iron Man prepared to strike again, a burst of white mist erupted from where Alex had touched. The mist spread quickly, covering half of Iron Man's body in ice within moments.

"Shield of the Seraphim and the Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon—impossible! How can you wield these spells!?"

In the distance, Kitty, who had not joined the battle, looked shocked. She couldn't understand how this wizard could still wield the magic of other dimensions when all magical dimensions had supposedly been banished.

"Surprised?"

Alex's fingers shifted in a new pattern, causing shimmering crystals to form around War Machine, trapping him. Even the bombardment from his cannons couldn't leave a mark on the crystals.

Crystals of Cyndriarr, like the spells he cast before, was also power from another dimension.

Having dealt with them, Alex turned his gaze back to Kitty. "As a being of astral energy, you should understand that any dimension's magic is essentially just energy manipulation. If you can replicate the energy, copying a few spells isn't a big deal."

Alex's words were calm, but to Kitty, or rather, the Shadow King, they were like thunder. The Shadow King's gaze, fixed on Alex, was now filled with fear.

"You can convert energy!?"

Though Alex made it sound simple, anyone with even a basic understanding of magic knew how impossibly difficult it was to convert energy in reality. And if the opponent had such power, then as an astral entity of abstract energy, the Shadow King realized it would become the perfect prey for Alex.

............

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211. Abstraction and Substance.

212. Baron Zemo.

213. Hydra Captain.

214. The Waning of a Hero.

215. The Death of the Hydra Captain.