The moment the Blood Lord vanished completely, the crimson fluctuations surrounding Marcus intensified dramatically.
Endless streams of blood enveloped his form as a massive blood lotus bloomed throughout the entire blood plane, its petals spreading to cover every corner of the dimension.
The blood plane's accumulated power flowed continuously into his armor, manifesting as intricate golden patterns that made the configuration appear devastatingly dangerous.
Garuda Prime [Sacred Garuda] - Promotion Complete
The transformed armor now resembled a blood-soaked empress who had adorned herself with the gleaming gold of spilled life, presenting herself in terrifying regal splendor.
Behind her figure, a blooming blood lotus announced to all observers that this armor had mastered the complete authority of the blood plane.
Marcus raised his hand gently, and streams of blood gathered toward him, transforming into sharp blades that surrounded his form like loyal guardians.
Blood Blade Formation
This represented a new application of his enhanced power that had occurred to him during the armor's promotion. After all, blood differed fundamentally from fire. Flame would continue burning everything around it even when left uncontrolled.
Blood required precise manipulation, and these blood-forged blades represented exactly the combat techniques he had developed to maximize this element's potential.
"As expected," Marcus observed with satisfaction. "After completing promotion, the armor's primary fighting methods are no longer limited to preset skills."
The development of blood blade techniques made him realize that while he had previously utilized many armor abilities, the power of those skills couldn't surpass the configurations' inherent capabilities. Now, the techniques he developed were equal to or even stronger than the armor's original functions, dramatically expanding his tactical options.
SWOOSH!
As Marcus lowered his hand, several golden claws flew from the scattered blood blades, gathering on his arm and transforming into a pair of bloodthirsty talons.
"These claws are genuinely useful," Marcus noted with amusement.
The weapons could engage enemies in close combat while also exploding to become flying swords for ranged attacks—remarkable versatility.
After testing the new equipment, Marcus dismissed the claws and deactivated his armor completely.
This configuration had achieved promotion successfully—he no longer needed to remain in this dimension.
Marcus casually tore a rift through the blood plane's fabric and returned to the Dark Aster.
"Let's depart. The mission is complete," he announced.
Upon receiving orders, Will activated the Dark Aster's systems. The dimensional vessel accelerated rapidly through the void, passing through one reality after another.
"The next plane..." Marcus mused.
Relaxing in his command chair, he studied the remaining dimensional demon relics in his possession with thoughtful concentration.
While he possessed numerous demon artifacts, relatively few could actually enhance his armor configurations effectively.
These dimensional demon remnants couldn't perfectly integrate with his existing systems, and several demons' powers seemed chaotically mixed, making selection extremely difficult.
He found himself genuinely uncertain whether to merge his armor with planes containing mixed energies—accepting ordinary dimensional demon status—or wait for dimensions with pure power sources that would make his configurations significantly stronger.
"I should search longer. If no alternatives present themselves, I'll have to accept this approach," Marcus decided.
Just as he contemplated these options, a dimension closely connected to him suddenly began experiencing violent tremors, immediately capturing his attention.
Regardless of other considerations, this suddenly unstable dimension demanded investigation.
"The Avengers universe? What's happening there?" Marcus wondered, studying the fluctuation's direction with growing curiosity. "Has Thanos finally invaded?"
Such powerful dimensional disturbances indicated that serious combat must be occurring.
"Never mind. Before exploring other worlds for pure planes, I should return to investigate this situation."
The Avengers universe's fluctuations were so intense that Marcus felt genuinely concerned. If Thanos was indeed attacking with most Infinity Stones in Marcus's possession, what methods could the Mad Titan employ to eliminate half the universe's population?
"Let's go back and observe," Marcus decided.
Under his command, Will turned the spacecraft around and flew rapidly toward the Avengers universe.
Avengers Universe - Earth
Tony and his allies were struggling desperately against Thanos's overwhelming army.
Not long ago, they had encountered members of the Guardians of the Galaxy who had fled to Earth alongside Asgardian refugees. What had terrified these experienced space travelers was Thanos, who remained trapped within magical barriers but was systematically breaking free.
Originally, Thanos had intended to use the Infinity Stones to reduce universal population levels. However, after searching for so long, he had only managed to locate the Soul Stone—all other Infinity Stones had mysteriously vanished.
Only the Time Stone in the hands of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme remained detectable. He couldn't even sense the other Infinity Stones through the mystical connections that should have linked them.
This represented a devastating blow to Thanos. His beloved adopted daughter Gamora had died for nothing. With only the Soul Stone, he couldn't achieve his goal of universal population reduction.
To retrieve the missing Infinity Stones, Thanos had no choice but to resort to traditional warfare, hoping to claim the Time Stone through conquest.
Only by obtaining time manipulation could he travel backward and locate all the missing stones.
Therefore, Thanos's armada had descended upon Earth, launching saturated attacks across the entire planet.
Weaker nations were completely overwhelmed, suffering massive losses in the first wave of assault.
However, major powers equipped with alien technology managed to maintain defensive positions using advanced weapons they had developed.
Beyond alien technology, these nations also possessed numerous powerful superheroes whose appearance allowed them to repel Thanos's forces effectively.
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH...
Multiple micro-missiles launched from Tony's shoulder pods, striking a large group of beast-like creatures advancing ahead. These represented Thanos's army—a massive force composed of various aggressive interstellar races that had sworn allegiance to the Mad Titan.
BOOM, BOOM...
"Damn it, if this continues, we won't be able to hold out," Tony cursed over the communication channel.
He had expended enormous amounts of ammunition during this extended battle. While these micro-missiles possessed tremendous destructive power, in a conflict affecting the entire world, his supplies couldn't be replenished quickly enough.
Although his repulsors could eliminate enemies efficiently, when facing such overwhelming numbers, single-target attacks proved inadequate. He needed faster methods to deal with attacking forces.
"What should we do? Should we retreat?" Captain Steve's voice crackled through the communicator.
They were also fighting desperately. While they could quickly eliminate individual enemies, Thanos's army was simply too vast. The sheer number of alien soldiers had created a deadly stalemate.
"Bucky, nine o'clock, fire!" Steve shouted while cleaving an alien warrior in half with his shield.
Too many enemies were approaching from the nine o'clock position—he could only rely on Bucky's air support to handle them.
BUZZ... BOOM...
A beam of energy erupted from the airship's cannon, striking the massive alien army advancing below.
The destructive power was so intense that most of the alien force was obliterated during their advance, with the air around the energy beam humming continuously.
Similar scenes were occurring worldwide. Every nation capable of resistance had deployed their most powerful weapons.
Everything except nuclear weapons was being utilized in this desperate defense.
"What is this..." Marcus muttered with confusion the moment he returned to the Avengers universe.
He hadn't expected so much time to pass in this reality during his absence. Earth had actually managed to halt Thanos's army's advance using various powerful weapons.
"Unfortunately, this is only temporary. Earth will ultimately fail," Marcus observed grimly.
Thanos commanded countless armies, and the forces currently attacking Earth could only be considered advance troops. His true main force hadn't yet entered the battlefield.
But Earth was different. Facing this advance force, they had already committed their full strength. When Thanos's primary legions arrived, humanity would have no choice but to resort to nuclear weapons regardless of consequences.
"But I must admit, I didn't expect Thanos to choose direct assault," Marcus noted with surprise.
Looking skyward, his enhanced vision detected Thanos holding the Soul Stone aloft.
The Soul Stone resembled a miniature hell. Every death on the battlefield caused its power to increase slightly. While individual growth was minimal, the conflict encompassed the entire planet. With such massive scope, the Soul Stone's strength was growing rapidly.
"Let me visit Tony first," Marcus decided.
He vanished instantly and materialized in New York.
The situation in New York wasn't significantly better. As a major metropolitan area, the number of attacking aliens was equally overwhelming.
"Hmm?" Marcus raised an eyebrow, observing flames streaking across the sky. "Is Tony planning to engage the new army formations?"
With his current enhanced vision, he could easily observe Tony flying through the air and even see through his armor.
"That guy is being completely reckless," Marcus muttered.
He gestured casually toward the alien forces.
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH...
Countless blood blades materialized, forming a crimson river in the air that swept toward the alien army.
"Look, what's that in the sky?" Hawkeye Clint's voice suddenly echoed through the communications channel.
Everyone fighting below looked up and was captivated by the celestial phenomenon.
A river of blood was rushing through the air, systematically destroying alien forces.
SWOOSH!
Because of the blood river's intervention, Steve didn't have time to avoid an alien soldier's attack. But at the moment the enemy's strike would have landed, a blood blade sliced through the air, eliminating both the alien and its assault.
"Those are our allies!" Steve shouted through the communicator.
This represented excellent news—they finally had such powerful assistance.
The blood river swept across the sky, and wherever it passed, countless blood blades fell like rain, eliminating all alien soldiers.
With Marcus's intervention, everyone in New York could finally breathe easier. Their pressure had decreased dramatically, allowing them precious moments to rest.
"It appears you've been managing well during my absence," a familiar voice said behind Steve and Bucky as they sat down.
Both men turned simultaneously to see Marcus, surrounded by several floating crimson swords, smiling at them.
"Marcus? You're... you're finally back!" Bucky exclaimed joyfully upon recognizing him.
While Marcus's latest absence hadn't lasted as long as his previous departure, it certainly wasn't brief either.
Compared to the first time Marcus had left for nearly twenty years, this absence was indeed shorter. However, the changes on Earth during this period far exceeded those from his initial departure.
"Actually, I sensed something happening on Earth, so I hurried back," Marcus replied with a smile.
His hands continued moving, and every gesture sent countless blood blades flying to eliminate alien soldiers wherever they appeared.
Watching Marcus's actions, Bucky couldn't help but express amazement.
"You're becoming increasingly terrifying."
They were all familiar with Marcus's combat abilities, but previously he had needed to physically fight the Chitauri. Now he only needed to wave his arms.
"After being away so long, strength naturally improves," Marcus explained. "But can someone tell me exactly what happened?"
Seeing Marcus's curiosity, Bucky and Steve began explaining the situation.
"It was Thanos. We Avengers encountered a group calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy. They came to Earth with Asgardian refugees. Thor and they brought serious news—Thanos is approaching with his army.
Thanos seeks the Time Stone. He's collecting Infinity Stones and even killed his adopted daughter to obtain the Soul Stone..."
Their account matched Marcus's expectations. He had suspected as much upon seeing the Soul Stone in Thanos's possession.
"Searching for Infinity Stones?" Marcus produced four Infinity Stones and raised an eyebrow slightly. "I wonder who will claim whose stones."
As he spoke, Marcus activated all four stones simultaneously. Four beams of different-colored light shot toward the sky. Not only Thanos with the Soul Stone, but even ordinary people could feel the oppressive power emanating from these four Infinity Stones.
"Leave him to me," Marcus declared.
His body became wreathed in blood as he transformed into Garuda Prime and soared into the sky.
He could see Thanos, who began laughing upon discovering that Infinity Stones had manifested on Earth. Now all six Infinity Stones were on the same planet, and Thanos felt confident he could collect them all.
"All forces, attack! Bring me those Infinity Stones!" Thanos commanded.
Under his orders, all primary legions deployed and advanced toward New York.
"Begone," Marcus said simply.
Facing armies surrounding him from all directions, he spoke a single word, and the blood river in the sky instantly exploded, shooting toward all alien warriors.
The blood river transformed into a rain of blood blades that pierced through the alien army. Many alien soldiers became blood mist and dissipated instantly, leaving no evidence of their existence.