Compared to Tony's frenetic activity, Marcus appeared extremely relaxed.
Besides his daily practice, he mostly studied and mastered amplitude crystal manipulation and empowerment techniques. To improve his combat ability, he needed to develop these two aspects.
Of course, he never stopped practicing the Void School methods—these were fundamental to his increasing strength and combat effectiveness.
As he continued to deepen his understanding, his power improved at a rate visible to the naked eye. This progress exceeded his expectations, and his current capabilities completely surpassed his former self.
Standing by the sea, Marcus formed a spherical vortex in his hands. This was the Void Sinking technique of the Vazarin School, but it was completely different from before.
Though his previous Void Sinking wasn't bad, its effective range had been limited to his perception range. Now, with his greatly improved strength, the technique could affect an area nearly twice that distance.
As the spherical vortex rotated rapidly, the coastal environment was affected by the collapsing void. Large volumes of seawater floated upward, transforming into streams that gathered from all directions.
With a slight flick of his wrist, Marcus launched the rapidly rotating vortex. The gathered water flowed like a propeller, shooting outward with the Void Sinking technique.
BOOM!!!
The condensed water flow exploded on the sea surface, transforming into mist that completely covered the water.
"Not bad," Marcus said with satisfaction. "Now even a control technique like Void Sinking can deliver impressive destructive power."
This was the essence of the Vazarin School—a healing discipline specializing in recovery and control, traditionally with almost zero combat effectiveness. Yet now, the powerful attraction of Void Sinking had unlocked remarkable destructive potential.
After a moment's reflection, Marcus turned and walked toward the city.
He'd been training here for quite some time. Now that his strength had made a breakthrough, he could afford to take a break and change his scenery.
...
Brooklyn
As New York's most underdeveloped area, Brooklyn bore little resemblance to Manhattan with its countless corporate towers.
It was hard to imagine that within the same city, the gap between Brooklyn and Manhattan could be so vast—they felt like entirely different worlds.
"This place would be perfect for building a park," Marcus thought.
Despite being Brooklyn's poorer section, the area had fewer high-rises and offered a relaxed atmosphere that Manhattan couldn't match.
While walking, a man jogging nearby caught Marcus's attention.
Something about this man's physique seemed unusual. Through his enhanced perception, Marcus could tell the runner's physical capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary people.
This wasn't something achievable through normal training, and the man's build didn't match someone who should possess such power.
"Is that the old popsicle who's been frozen for 70 years?"
Though many people would have enhanced physical abilities in the future, Marcus immediately thought of Captain America—Steve Rogers.
After all, not everyone had Captain America's distinctive physique.
Since they'd crossed paths here, Marcus decided to follow him, intending to chat with the legendary captain.
Steve had been confused lately. When he'd awakened, more than half a century had passed, and everything familiar had changed.
New York was now filled with skyscrapers, unprecedented technology had infiltrated everyday life, and Brooklyn was no longer the chaotic slum he remembered.
Such transformation had plunged him into deep disorientation, making him feel out of sync with his surroundings.
Tap tap tap
The footsteps behind him gradually became clear, which surprised Steve.
Though this pace was nothing to him, for an ordinary person, it would be considered fast running.
For a middle-distance run, the speed was impressive, but Steve clearly remembered being the only runner in the area.
Looking back, he saw a man rush forward and overtake him in the blink of an eye.
This immediately sparked Steve's competitive spirit. Since receiving the super-soldier serum, only the Red Skull—who had also been injected with a version of the serum—could match him.
Now that Red Skull was gone, Steve had assumed no one could compare to his abilities. Yet this man clearly wasn't ordinary.
With that thought, Steve quickened his pace and chased after Marcus, wanting to see who could run faster.
The changes in Steve's pace didn't escape Marcus's perception. Feeling Steve accelerate, Marcus gradually increased his own speed.
The two men competed as if in a race, crossing block after block until they reached a park.
During their competition, the sun gradually rose, and the park's temperature increased with the morning.
"Has Dr. Erskine's super-soldier serum been replicated?" Steve asked as he caught up to Marcus, his curiosity getting the better of him.
He understood what this meant—for someone to match him physically, even in his recently-thawed state, wasn't normal. How could an ordinary person have such abundant stamina?
The stranger ran with the same ease as himself, leading Steve to believe that Marcus must also have been injected with the super-soldier serum.
"Super-soldier serum?" Marcus smiled at Steve. "I've never been injected with that stuff!"
As he spoke, Marcus increased his speed again, leaving Steve behind in the blink of an eye.
"If you want to know my secret, you'll have to win first!"
Hearing this challenge, Steve began sprinting forward. In terms of physical strength, he remained very confident.
Soon enough, he caught up with Marcus.
"You know what? I can do this all day!" Steve called out.
He was reminding Marcus that his physical fitness had reached the peak of human capability—running at this pace was nothing to him.
Facing Steve's boast, Marcus simply raised a finger and wagged it.
"That's a pity," he replied with a smile. "I can keep running indefinitely."
Marcus accelerated again, and they fell back into their race. This time, Marcus maintained a stubborn ten-meter lead ahead of Steve.
No matter how Steve pushed himself, Marcus kept that precise distance between them.
As they continued racing, the sun gradually set, and the park became increasingly crowded.
Finally, Marcus stopped in front of a bench, leaned back against it, and looked at Steve with a smile. He showed no signs of having been running all day.
Though Steve wasn't as relaxed as Marcus, he wasn't panting either. When he saw Marcus stop, he also halted.
"Since I became like this," Steve said, "you're the first person who can match me at this level."
But Marcus ignored this comment and looked toward another part of the park instead.
"Come out," he called. "You've been watching us all day!"
Ever since they'd arrived at the park, Marcus had sensed someone observing them—or more specifically, watching Steve.
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