The ultimate explosion of Sui Xie (Debris) Star had a power far exceeding that of an ordinary supernova.
The Great Old Ones' corrupting energy mixed within it acted like the most vicious catalyst, not only greatly enhancing the instantaneous destructive power of the explosion but also distorting the physical rules at the core of the explosion.
Endless destructive energy was forcibly compressed and collapsed, finally forming a transient but extremely terrifying miniature black hole!
The terrifying gravity instantly seized everything!
Planetary debris, fungal mat fragments, countless remains of Trigg clones, and the pervasive Great Old Ones' energy...
Everything was mercilessly pulled towards that pitch-black core!
Mark Grayson, at the very center of the explosion, bore the brunt of it!
The gravity, powerful enough to tear apart stars, furiously acted upon his steel body, emitting a grating metallic twisting sound, but he withstood it stubbornly.
The Viltrumite's physical strength was fully demonstrated at this moment; even the black hole's gravity could not instantly tear him apart.
However, the Great Old Ones' energy admixture made the situation extremely bizarre.
The nature of the black hole itself underwent an unknown distortion; it did not continuously devour like a natural black hole, but after absorbing a large amount of Great Old Ones' energy and Mark, a huge anomalous constant, it became extremely unstable, like a balloon forcibly inflated.
The next moment.
"Tear!!!"
A deafening roar, as if the fabric of the universe was being forcibly torn, erupted—not through sound waves but directly impacting the soul!
The unstable miniature black hole, after reaching a certain critical point, suddenly collapsed inward, then erupted outward in a manner that defied all known laws of physics!
It did not spew out matter and energy, but instead tore apart spacetime itself, opening a transient, kaleidoscopic planar rift filled with chaotic colors and laws!
Mark, caught in the gravitational pull and energy impact, was utterly powerless to resist this immense suction from the dimensional plane; his figure was instantly swallowed by the violent planar rift, vanishing without a trace.
Immediately after, the rift rapidly contracted and closed, as if it had never appeared.
Only that empty, shattered space, still lingering with terrifying energy ripples, remained, proving the earth-shattering upheaval that had occurred there.
...
Main Universe plane.
Viltrum, the capital planet of the Viltrumite Empire, Regent's Palace.
It was a peaceful and glorious day.
Golden starlight shone upon the vast palace complex, which combined futuristic technology with classical Viltrumite architectural style.
The streets were orderly, various advanced levitating vehicles moved silently, and occasionally, patrol warships bearing the Viltrumite Empire's emblem passed through the sky, showcasing the power and peace of this unified empire.
On the highest observation deck of the palace, a figure stood with his hands behind his back.
He wore form-fitting, dark gold attire symbolizing supreme authority, his posture was tall and straight, and his face was identical to Mark Grayson's, only with a few more traces of the calm and majesty that come from enduring hardships, as well as a subtle hint of weariness.
He was the Mark Grayson of this universe, who, after a brutal war that swept across the universe, unified the Viltrumite race with undeniable strength and prestige, established a powerful empire, and became the youngest Regent in history.
Just as he was overlooking the prosperous nation under his rule.
Piercing air defense alarms suddenly blared across the entire capital planet!
"Warning! Super high-energy body detected entering the atmosphere!"
"Warning! Trajectory unpredictable! Energy unidentifiable!"
"Warning! Target impact location... is... is the Imperial Garden!!!"
The entire capital planet instantly entered a state of maximum alert!
Countless defensive turrets raised, warships scrambled, and elite Royal Guards surged like a tide towards the predicted impact site.
Regent Mark frowned deeply, a sharp glint flashing in his molten gold eyes.
He did not panic, but calmly took a step, his body instantly breaking the sound barrier, rushing towards the impact site at a terrifying speed!
"Boom!!!"
A loud bang, accompanied by violent ground tremors, created an impact crater in the center of the Imperial Garden, with smoke and dust billowing.
All the arriving guards, officials, and various alien envoys invited to stay on the capital planet tensely aimed their weapons and detectors at the center of the smoke and dust.
The smoke and dust slowly dissipated...
Revealing the scene at the bottom of the impact crater.
When they saw what was there, everyone, including Regent Mark who had just arrived, instantly widened their eyes, revealing expressions of extreme shock and disbelief!
Lying at the bottom of the pit was a person.
A person covered in dried dark red blood, riddled with hideous wounds, and on the verge of unconsciousness.
And that person's face...
Was identical to their Regent!
...
Original Universe plane, Starfire Alliance base on Lishi Star.
Compared to the shock in the Main Universe, the Lishi Star base was immersed in a suppressive sorrow and anxiety.
In the highest medical bay, after several days and nights of non-stop rescue and treatment with the Alliance's top medical technology, Ruijia and White Lion finally escaped life-threatening danger, but they were still extremely weak and required long-term recuperation.
Ruijia suffered multiple ruptured internal organs, comminuted bone fractures, and her mind was also damaged by the impact of the Great Old Ones' energy.
White Lion's injuries were even more severe, his chest almost completely pierced through, and his powerful self-healing ability seemed to be suppressed by the Great Old Ones' energy, recovering extremely slowly.
When they awoke from their long coma and faced the anxious inquiries of the core members, the two endured intense pain and, intermittently and as detailed as possible, described the full scope of that desperate battle.
Countless Trigg clones, the powerfully bizarre Trigg himself, Mark's earth-shattering outburst, and finally...
The scene of Mark, to buy them time to escape, single-handedly forcibly delaying the planetary explosion, and ultimately being swallowed...
Everyone who heard this description felt a chill run down their spine, along with an indescribable shock and grief.
They could not imagine how tragic and magnificent that sight must have been.
"Search!"
Ruijia, weak but incredibly resolute, gave the order, tears welling in her eyes, but she held them back.
"Send out all available scout ships! Search every inch of K-77 Star Sector! Find him alive... if he's dead... find his body!"
Search teams were dispatched one after another, traversing the still chaotic energy radiation zones, risking discovery by Great Old Ones' patrols, repeatedly scanning and searching the empty wreckage belt.
One day, two days... a week... two weeks...
All the teams returned, bringing back the same, desperate news.
No life signs... no spaceship wreckage... not even large fragments of matter could be found...
Only the most basic particle streams and violent energy aftershocks remained there... as if everything had been completely vaporized and erased.
Repeated disappointments ultimately converged into the reality that everyone was unwilling to accept but had to face.
Mark Grayson, the Alliance's banner and spiritual symbol... most likely died heroically in that devastating planetary explosion.
The entire Alliance plunged into immense grief and low morale.
People could not accept this fact.
How could that man, invincible like a god of war, fall like this?
Finally, Ruijia locked herself in her room for an entire day, and under the resolution of the core leadership, the Alliance issued an obituary for Mark Grayson and announced the erection of a giant golden statue of Mark Grayson in the center of Lishi Star plaza to eternally commemorate his achievements and sacrifice.
The news could not be concealed and quickly reached Earth via encrypted channels.
At GDA Headquarters, when Director Cecil tremblingly read the received message, the entire command center fell silent.
"No... impossible... my son..."
The moment Debbie heard the news, her vision blurred, and immense grief, like a heavy hammer, shattered this mother's emotional defenses; she fainted directly and was rushed to the hospital.
Eve, the girl who had always hidden her deep feelings, instantly burst into tears, weeping profusely, almost unable to stand, needing colleagues to help her back to her seat; her world seemed to lose all color at that moment.
Allen vigorously rubbed his reddened single eye, his lips tightly pressed, not saying a word, but his shoulders trembled slightly.
Director Cecil stood with his back to everyone, gazing at Mark's photo on the screen, silent for a long time, his back seeming to age ten years in an instant.
Losing her husband in middle age, and then suffering the pain of losing her son...
The tragedy of the Grayson family was suffocatingly heavy.
And in the universe, the Great Old Ones' pace of Devour would not slow down in the slightest due to the fall of a hero.
On the contrary, they seemed to sense the weakening of the resistance, and their offensive became more fierce and frequent.
Having lost Mark, their strongest pillar, the Starfire Alliance and Earth had no choice but to gather all their strength, dragging their sorrowful and weary bodies, to face an even darker and more difficult future.
The statue on Lishi Star shimmered under the starlight, as if telling a story of courage and sacrifice, and reminding the living that the battle was far from over.
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