The true strength of Malrick's Creation ability wasn't in crafting monsters or weapons—it was in making a Blood Sea Clone, a replica formed from his own genetic code.
This smaller clone carried only one-tenth of Malrick's genetic potential and height.
But its brilliance lay in its utility.
After being infused with energy, the small Blood Sea Clone could dissolve back into the Blood Sea, returning its energy and expanding the Sea's mass.
And since creating one cost almost nothing, Malrick could deploy these clones like expendable soldiers—or even living bombs.
On the vast ground of his inner World, he whispered:
"Transform into Sea."
The clone obeyed instantly.
Its towering frame melted like candle wax, bones and flesh turning into rushing currents.
Moments later, the massive figure was gone—replaced by a sprawling crimson sea stretching one thousand kilometers in diameter.
It was a surreal sight, a mythic transformation that evoked imagery more akin to cosmic legends than anything rooted in Earth.
Then, he gave the next command.
"Create."
The red tides surged, forming a small giant about ten kilometers tall.
Its genes were only thirty times baseline, significantly lower than Malrick's full form.
Yet, it rose from the depths like a soldier forged in molten blood.
But the price?
The Blood Sea lost nearly one-tenth of its energy.
Without hesitation, Malrick reached into the infinite reserve of the Space Stone, instantly replenishing the lost essence.
"Dissolve."
The small clone melted back into the sea like a raindrop into an ocean.
The energy it carried returned fully, and the Blood Sea's size grew once again.
This feedback loop was simple, elegant, and terrifying in its implications.
"Repeat it a few times and I'll have an energy pool big enough to drown a planet," Malrick thought.
The Blood Sea wasn't just a weapon—it was his armory, a reservoir he could draw from during battle.
And though Malrick, bearer of the Kryptonian bloodline, didn't need backup energy right now—since he carried the power of a hundred thousand suns—this reserve was an investment in future battles.
Still, for now, raw expansion could wait.
The Blood Sea Clone had only reached the first order of the Cosmic tier.
It was time to increase its power first.
Malrick, in his fluid form, had no eyes, yet he could see everything.
His awareness covered the ocean like a divine consciousness.
"Restore to original form."
The crimson tides roared.
Energy gathered into a vortex, and from within, a hundred-kilometer-tall giant rose again.
On the previously flooded ground, not a single drop of water remained.
He stretched an arm, inspecting the muscle. Solid again.
"Being water was interesting," Malrick muttered, flexing a fist. "But I prefer solidity."
He sat on a hill—one that now looked like a footstool beneath his size—and began cultivating.
Energy from the Space Stone surged into the air like cosmic wind.
Simultaneously, faint green ripples shimmered in a dimensional rift nearby—the Time Stone working silently.
Ten thousand days in the inner World would pass as only ten days in the real one.
As energy poured in, the Blood Sea Clone's strength soared, quickly matching the main body's current rank: Domain Lord, ninth order.
And Malrick himself?
As the Space Stone infused both his body and the very foundation of his inner World, his own energy surged as well.
With the sun-forged strength of his Kryptonian cells and the twin Infinity Stones empowering his evolution, he too broke through.
Domain Lord, ninth order.
And he wasn't finished.
---
In Brooklyn, Earth.
Malrick's main body stood in his apartment's living room.
The moment of breakthrough arrived.
He closed his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished.
Not through teleportation.
Through speed.
Traveling from Earth's surface to outer space—roughly 300 kilometers—took less than a millisecond.
As Earth's gravity fell away, Malrick soared toward the Moon, a gray, lifeless place perfect for high-level cultivation.
He'd been holding off this advancement until his clone caught up.
Now, with both bodies aligned, it was time to advance together.
While stuck at Domain Lord ninth order, Malrick had made a crucial discovery.
Although his genetic energy and psychic strength couldn't grow beyond that tier, his body still strengthened under sunlight.
His Kryptonian physiology, even merged with the Starry Sky System, continued to evolve independently.
"Even if my realm stalls, the sun keeps pushing my body forward," he realized.
By his own calculation, he was now stronger than many Domain Lord second orders—without even officially breaking through.
Soon, that gap would vanish.
He crossed the void and landed gently on the Moon, the dust barely shifting beneath him.
Sitting cross-legged, Malrick closed his eyes.
At the same time, his Blood Sea Clone did the same in his inner World.
Two bodies. One mind. One goal.
---
Inside the Inner World…
The energy of the Space Stone raged like a cosmic storm.
Golden light danced across the sky.
The vast inner World, now spanning 900,000 kilometers, began to expand.
Mountains pierced the sky, rivers carved their way through valleys, and signs of life began to stir.
For others, reaching Domain Lord meant building an inner World from scratch.
But Malrick already had one.
All he needed now was to elevate it—to make it a true World, capable of spawning life on its own.
Time passed slowly, each moment stretching like a tide against the shores of existence.
Finally, on the Moon, Malrick stood again.
Domain Lord, second order.
In the same instant, his Blood Sea Clone also advanced.
Now ten thousand kilometers tall, the clone's presence in the inner World was even more godlike.
With this breakthrough, Malrick had a new plan.
He would leave the Blood Sea Clone within the inner World to sit beside the Space and Time Stones, absorbing energy and studying Laws.
Meanwhile, his main body would stay in the real world, soaking up solar radiation from his hundred thousand suns hidden inside his world ring.
He clenched his fist.
His strength was now over two thousand times what it had been when he first returned from the Starry Sky World.
That was the early-stage advantage of the Starry Sky System.
So long as energy and Law comprehension kept up, he could evolve rapidly.
But this progress wouldn't stay easy forever.
---
Beyond Domain Lord lies a wall.
To advance to the Immortal Realm, one had to fully comprehend a foundational Law.
This rule held true in the Starry Sky World, and it held true in the Marvel Universe.
The paths were different, but the essence was the same—understand the Universe's structure and reshape it with your will.
Malrick already had an edge.
He didn't need to search blindly for the building blocks of reality. He already knew them.
The Marvel Universe was born from six singularities, which collapsed into the six Infinity Stones.
Each one represented a fundamental power:
Time
Space
Power
Reality
Mind
Soul
Malrick believed mastering any one of these would allow him to break through into the next tier of power.
Mastering two would make him a Law Master.
Mastering all six?
That, he was sure, would put him beyond any god in the current multiverse.
And then?
The final step would be to fuse them, creating a universe of his own.
Of course, there were other options.
His Kryptonian bloodline had no ceiling. Even without advancing realms, his strength would keep rising with solar energy.
But before any of that mattered, he needed immortality.
And to become immortal, he needed to fully grasp a minor Law, derived from the major ones.
For now, he focused on the Law of Light, his primary path.
His journey toward godhood had only just begun.