It wasn't just the Dark Dimension warrior struck by Robert who felt the oppressive force of the light-based energy invading his body. Even the other Dark Dimension warriors nearby, who were merely affected by Robert's aura, felt incredibly uncomfortable.
Though these warriors were far stronger than Earth's vampires and werewolves and had developed some resistance to light-based powers, their innate nature still instinctively rejected and feared strong light-based energy.
"No! How can you have this kind of power? Don't kill me…" As Robert continued to emanate his energy, the Dark Dimension warriors retreated, watching him warily. But the warrior Robert had targeted was in dire straits. The light burned within him, slowly turning him to ash, like a vampire disintegrating under a UV grenade.
This particular Dark Dimension warrior wasn't as powerful as Robert to begin with, and with the light attribute continually eating away at him, even his dimension-born vitality couldn't save him. He died on the spot, leaving the remaining Dark Dimension warriors, who had been eager to fight, frozen in shock. They eyed Robert with fear, unsure of how to proceed.
Robert, standing alone, managed to halt all these Dark Dimension warriors in their tracks. His body radiated with light energy, and not a single warrior dared to step forward.
Seeing them cower, Robert smirked. Surveying the surrounding enemies with disdain, he mocked, "I said it before when your Dark Dimension warriors tried to invade—if it were another dimension, I might be more cautious. But your flawed Dark Dimension? It doesn't even make me break a sweat! Now, who wants to die next?"
"…" The Dark Dimension warriors, despite Robert taunting them in their own ranks, remained silent. None dared to step forward, their wariness only growing as they contemplated retreat.
The flaw in the Dark Dimension's power wasn't something easily overcome. If it were, the Avengers wouldn't have so easily wiped out the vampires and werewolves, and Grant's forces wouldn't have suffered so many losses on Earth.
This was worse than a natural predator-prey relationship. At least in nature, a rabbit might occasionally outwit an eagle. But against the light attribute, these Dark Dimension warriors were like helpless prey with no fight left in them.
"At least we have a chance!" Tony Stark exhaled in relief as he watched Robert hold back the entire Dark Dimension force. The Earth side had prepared many countermeasures specifically for the Dark Dimension. Not only had they successfully distributed the gear, but the automated production lines were still churning out suicide drones, ready to deploy at any moment.
Stark couldn't help but feel lucky. If they were dealing with an invasion from a dimension like the Dark Dimension with no weakness, or worse, the Hell Dimension with no countermeasures, the Earth's situation would be a hundred times worse.
While Robert held the line alone in the sky, Earth's extraordinary forces had gathered. Clark had returned from space and stood beside Kara and Lana Lang, though he wasn't rushing to fight alongside Robert.
Clark wanted to keep his full power hidden. After all, it seemed that the Dark Dimension didn't know much about Robert, and it was likely they didn't know much about him either. By holding back now, he could catch them off guard later.
It wasn't that Clark was being underhanded or devious—it was just that in an interdimensional invasion like this, honor didn't matter. Earth's survival was at stake, and any strategy that increased their odds was fair game.
After all, Earth's dimensional consciousness wasn't helping much—it had simply let the enemy in without considering if its defenders could handle so many enemies…
Meanwhile, outside Earth's dimension, the Dark Lord was not pleased. He hadn't expected that after Robert killed just one of his warriors, the rest would be so terrified that they wouldn't even attack. This made him lose face.
The Dark Lord also sensed that Earth's dimensional consciousness seemed to be mocking him, further stoking his anger and murderous intent.
The Dark Lord admitted that Robert's light attribute power was indeed troublesome, even for him. He wasn't eager to confront it either. However, the Dark Dimension warriors had chosen this path together!
After Grant and the others had failed repeatedly, the Dark Lord had issued an ultimatum to the remaining warriors. If they couldn't retrieve Morbius and the others, he would re-evolve the Dark Dimension, slowly fixing its flaws over time.
And if re-evolving the Dark Dimension meant all its inhabitants would return to their primal forms, the Dark Lord didn't care.
Under this immense pressure, the Dark Dimension warriors had decided that the only way to succeed was to invade Earth completely and negate Earth's home-field advantage. They had promised the Dark Lord that they would give their lives to ensure the Dark Dimension's rise. Only then did the Dark Lord bring the entire dimension here.
But now, they were afraid of just one man. This humiliation enraged the Dark Lord.
With a thought, the warriors who had been glaring at Robert suddenly exploded into clouds of pure energy, which immediately flowed back to the Dark Dimension along the moonlight path.
"They're dead? Who did that?" Robert's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't felt anything before they died. This sudden development put him on high alert.
However, when he sensed the dark energy being absorbed into the moonlight path, Robert's eyes flashed with understanding. He realized that the true ruler of the Dark Dimension had acted.
"If you don't act now, you'll end up like them! Remember what you promised before you came here!" The Dark Lord's voice echoed in the minds of every Dark Dimension warrior. "There's only one of him. A group of you can hold him off while the others bring back the targets! If you fail, you'll die here!"
Hearing the Dark Lord's words, the remaining warriors regained their composure, their gazes toward Robert filled with determination.
Earlier, Robert had killed the Dark Dimension warrior with effort, utilizing the advantage of light energy over time. But the Dark Lord had killed them effortlessly, simply by reclaiming their power. The warriors now understood that they had no choice but to fight, or they would face instant death.
In an instant, the warriors who had been frozen in fear sprang into action. A portion of them charged toward Robert, hoping to suppress his light energy with their combined aura.
The other warriors bypassed Robert, heading deeper into Earth's territory—toward the Avengers' location, where they had sensed the presence of Morbius, Blade, and other vampires and werewolves.
Yes, Morbius and Blade were on the battlefield. The Avengers had brought them there, where they could keep an eye on them. It was safer than hiding them in the Avengers' base, which would have spread their forces too thin. If the base were breached, it would mean disaster for Earth's defense efforts.
If the Dark Dimension retrieved Morbius and then returned to Earth as a fully functional dimension without any flaws, Earth's forces would stand no chance.
"Prepare for battle! Monitor your injuries—if they get too severe, call on Constantine. He'll help freeze the wounds!" Steve Rogers' voice, amplified by his armor, echoed across the battlefield, motivating everyone to stay focused.
Even Constantine felt the pressure. Freezing the injuries of everyone on the verge of death would take a huge toll on him. But he knew this was one of the few ways he could contribute meaningfully to the battle.
If Constantine fought on the front lines, it would drain his resources too quickly. His combat abilities were limited, and he wouldn't last long. It made more sense for him to act as a medic, freezing injuries so Robert could heal them later.
"Boom!"
"Crack!"
"Thud!"
Before long, the Dark Dimension warriors collided with Earth's forces. But it wasn't the Avengers or the extraordinary beings on Earth who met them first—it was wave after wave of specialized mechs, designed specifically to combat the Dark Dimension's forces.
At the first clash, the Dark Dimension warriors were caught off guard. Though the mechs weren't powerful enough to kill them outright, they inflicted injuries and weakened the warriors' combat abilities.
A single mech might not do much, but there were countless mechs and specialized weapons swarming the battlefield, leaving the Dark Dimension warriors disoriented.
"Damn it! They were prepared! They've studied our weaknesses!" one Dark Dimension warrior cried out as he felt his strength wane, even his regenerative abilities faltering. That was when Clark, Diana, Kara, Martian Manhunter, Peter Parker, and Lana Lang launched their assault, delivering devastating blows.
Although Clark wasn't using his full strength and was intentionally holding back, their combined power was still less lethal than Kong's brute force. The massive gorilla tore through weakened Dark Dimension warriors like a game of whack-a-mole, taking them down one by one with punches, kicks, and even tail slaps.
In the sky, Robert's aura fully exploded. Around him, an aura field formed, a mix of battle intent, madness, and light energy, trapping the Dark Dimension warriors in place.
In truth, many of the Dark Dimension warriors had encountered light-based powers before, but never anything like this. The impure mix of energies still managed to suppress them, making them feel like helpless targets, unable to resist Robert's relentless attacks.
Many of the Dark Dimension warriors felt frustrated. If Robert didn't have light-based powers, many of them were confident they could defeat or even kill him. But now, they were powerless against his onslaught.
"So, it seems you're all here to die. And those who've gone ahead are also headed for death. Your hierarchy must be strict—none of the stronger warriors dare to step up?" Robert taunted as he continued to unleash light energy while darting around, striking the Dark Dimension warriors and
mocking them at the same time.
Indeed, those left to fight Robert were the weakest among the Dark Dimension warriors. Those who charged ahead to battle the mechs were also relatively weak. The stronger warriors were hanging back, trying to find a way to strike at the Avengers and capture Morbius.
Earth's side had plenty of ways to counter the Dark Dimension's forces, and if the Dark Dimension didn't come up with a solution soon, their invasion would falter.
Especially since their goal wasn't to kill all of Earth's forces. They just needed to capture Morbius and the others…
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