Chapter 1317 - Ch: 113-120 (cont. 120)

Chapter 113 – Facing Ancient One! Unlock Imminent! Clock King EXP, Start Rising!

"He… he's incredibly strong." Leaning against the wall and clutching his chest, Zhou Mo imitated the down-and-out Odin he remembered. He also noticed that the corner of Jamie's uniform peeking out from his collar was torn, crackling with hair-thin electric arcs.

Jamie felt like crying in despair. He'd seen Zhou Mo's fighting power on TV—a being who could punch a Planetto pieces. Thousands of years ago, that would've been the ancient Greek god of strength!

Yet now, someone as mighty as Zhou Mo couldn't beat Quill? Even worse, Jamie hadn't even seen Quill's attack! Just how terrifyingly strong was this evil alien?

"Th-then what do we do?" Jamie pressed anxiously.

Thinking of something, Zhou Mo asked uncertainly, "Can you run?"

Chest heaving, Jamie broke down sobbing. "No." At that moment he swore off booze like never before. If only he hadn't drunk so much—he doubted he could walk ten steps. He was about to drag his good brother down with him, waaah.

"Good." Hearing that, Zhou Mo relaxed; the money hadn't been wasted after all.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Jamie pinned every last hope on Zhou Mo.

Looking straight at him, Jamie saw Zhou Mo open his mouth as if to say something—then his pupils rolled upward and his face changed. Jamie's heart skipped.

"Not good! Here it comes again!" Zhou Mo pointed skyward.

As Jamie instinctively looked up, Zhou Mo instantly switched to Electromagnetic Strongman and jabbed Jamie in the back. The fingertip sent another electric shock through him.

At the same time, the special uniform ruptured; the jolt triggered Jamie's ability, and a clone shot out of his body with a whoosh, gaping at the transformed Zhou Mo.

Pointing at the withdrawing finger of Electromagnetic Strongman, the clone yelled at Jamie, desperately trying to identify the real culprit.

Before the mouth fully opened, a bolt drilled through its brow. Hearing the sound, Jamie turned to see the clone collapse with a bloody hole between its eyes, while Zhou Mo—just canceling Electromagnetic Strongman form—still crackled with residual current.

With a thud the clone hit the floor. Jamie paled—his copy had been instantly killed! Then it struck him: why was he still fine?

Looking again at the current-wreathed Zhou Mo, the answer was obvious! Jamie's face turned utterly grave.

"You blocked that attack for me, didn't you?!" Jamie spread his arms and hugged Zhou Mo, bawling with gratitude. "My best bro!"

Zhou Mo was dumbstruck. He'd thought the kid would bolt, but with this brain wiring the show could go on.

"Of course, bro! You're my brother, my dearest friend!" A moved Zhou Mo hugged him hard with one arm while gripping the wire in the other, ready to jab him again.

Arm shooting up, Zhou Mo urged, "Look out, bro! Here he comes again!"

This time Jamie didn't look away, quietly holding him. "I'm wasted, but my mind's clear. I can't do anything, so let me take the hits for you!"

Zhou Mo stood frozen.

Stepping back slightly, Jamie gripped Zhou Mo's shoulders. "As humanity's hope, get out of here—bzzzzzt!" Before he could finish, electricity surged and Jamie's arms waved like seaweed in water, dancing… Night had pressed against the window for ages. Like a despairing, heat-drained beast, Gwen curled motionless inside Ancient One's magic cage. Hovering above the sofa, Ancient One still sat in meditation.

Glancing at her father frozen at the door, Gwen neither knew nor cared how Ancient One had done it. In her eyes, Ancient One had become synonymous with irrationality.

Deep in space, with Zhou Mo's story gone, Odincontrolled the projection to observe Ancient One. He watched unblinkingly, wondering whether her plan could succeed.

So far, the answer looked bleak. For just a woman, would Zhou Mo really risk his life? Odin murmured, "Zhou Mo's not that foolish. Ancient One should keep searching; he won't walk in willingly."

Just then, with a creak, Zhou Mo pushed the door and walked in.

Odin: "…"

Fine then!

Without hesitation, Odin turned to summon the Celestials. Ancient One must have something up her sleeve; against her plan, Zhou Mo would surely go all-out. The terror of Electric Lizard and Energon King Kongwould soon appear before the Celestials once more!

Perhaps worn down by the incessant shouting, this time the Celestials actually opened their eyes one after another.

In the projection, Gwen was both startled and delighted to see Electric Lizard enter—delighted that her safety could truly draw Zhou Mo, startled that the Ancient One's plan was about to succeed: Zhou Mo had really fallen into the trap!

In an instant her tightly-shut eyes snapped open; frost raged as the Ancient One's gaze swept toward Electric Lizard and the room's temperature plunged to freezing.

At the same time the desperate beast was roused again; Gwen sprang up and shouted in panic, "Zhou Mo, get out of here!"

Electric Lizard only gave her a cool glance, then strolled to the other side of the coffee table and sat opposite the Ancient One, the two locking eyes in silence. An invisible murderous aura erupted from them and tore through the room.

The aura was so heavy that Gwen instinctively shut her mouth.

Deep in space, Odin folded his arms smugly. "Next you'll see the most terrifying being in the Universe: the fusion of Electric Lizard and Energon King Kong."

On this point the Celestials kept silent, watching without a word. The next second a soft laugh from the Ancient One came through the projection.

"If you intend to use Energon King Kong's power—" She paused deliberately, looked at Gwen, and her smiling eyes narrowed. "She will be the first to die."

Realizing this, Gwen's face froze and her heart sank. So another reason the Ancient One broke into her home and trapped her was… to limit Zhou Mo's abilities?

Her stiff heart pounded; how could Gwen not know that Zhou Mo's strongest power was the Energon King Kongthat had smashed Dormammu with one punch? But with her here, would he still use such a massively destructive form?

If he did, the Ancient One might use the Time Stone to heal her wounds, yet she herself would surely die—and Zhou Mo clearly cared about her safety or he wouldn't have come.

Gwen's heart nearly burst from her chest. What a despicable move! She yelled at Zhou Mo, "Zhou Mo! Don't mind me—do what you have to do!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Gwen lost the only ability she still possessed: the Ancient One sealed her lips, leaving her voiceless.

Electric Lizard remained calm; his mouth opened and Zhou Mo's familiar voice sounded. "You're really sinister."

"Heh." The Ancient One smiled; banning Zhou Mo's strongest Energon King Kong sent her confidence soaring. "To deal with you, I must be cautious."

Deep space.

Understanding the Ancient One's plan, Odin drew a cold breath; the woman was even colder than he'd expected.

Grasping the logic, Odin suddenly stiffened. "Wait—I feared Zhou Mo would destroy the Universe. But if, for the girl he loves, he won't even use Energon King Kong, how would he destroy the Universe?"

Vaguely, Odin realized he might have worried too much.

Yet Zhou Mo's lifespan far exceeded that of an Earth girl; if someday the girl died—say, by accidentally falling from the clock tower—then without his only tether of love, Zhou Mo's threat would remain.

With that thought, Odin warned gravely, "Though you won't see Energon King Kong, you'll witness the terrifying absorption power of Electric Lizard!"

The Celestials still kept silent, but after Odin's constant repetition they felt a flicker of curiosity toward Electric Lizard.

Is this creature really that strong?

Electric Lizard and the Ancient One stared at each other; by now, neither had anything left to say.

The oppressive atmosphere seemed to solidify into fragile glass that might shatter at any moment; Gwen could only watch, forgetting to breathe.

The next second, Electric Lizard lifted a hand toward the Ancient One, the two antennae on his head rising as well—clearly he intended to use his absorption power again and drain her energy!

Question: what had the Ancient One been quietly meditating on? Answer: running through a mental rehearsal of her battle with Zhou Mo.

Fully prepared, the Ancient One waited for this very second. A green blaze burst from the eye of agamotto on her chest, lit the room, and vanished in a flash; Electric Lizard stood petrified, motionless.

That raised hand had only lifted halfway, not even aimed at her!

Time-stop complete. Without hesitation the Ancient Oneswept her hand; a magic sphere shot from her fingers straight into Electric Lizard's body.

With a crisp "squelch" of flesh bursting, half of Electric Lizard's body vanished, blood spraying the spot.

Odin watched in stunned silence.

Earth's Guardian had become so adept with the Time Stone? And… staring at the corpse, Odin wondered if he was dreaming.

Killing Zhou Mo required only one Time Stone?!!

The Celestials turned their gaze toward him; sensing it, Odin was too embarrassed to speak.

"King of Gods, the mighty and terrifying Electric Lizardyou spoke of was killed just like that by Earth's Guardian?"

Chapter 114: Zhou Mo Killed by the Ancient One? Clock King's Experience Reaches 57%!

Odin's mouth gaped as he stood dazed, unable to speak. He also wanted to ask—yes, was Zhou Mo really killed so easily?

Blinking rapidly to try and digest it all, Odin never expected the situation to develop so quickly and unexpectedly!

Odin's brow furrowed, still unable to believe it: "The one who was insta-killed this time was actually Zhou Mo?"

In his imagination, based on previous developments, if Zhou Mo won, he would insta-kill the Ancient One, thereby letting the Celestials see the terror of Zhou Mo's Electric Lizard ability. The Ancient One winning? Odin's brow furrowed even tighter.

He had certainly thought of this, but the win rate was practically negligible. Dormammu and the Power Stonehad both lost to Zhou Mo, so how could the Ancient Onewin? Odin even believed that Zhou Mo might evolve the ability to control time from this battle!

But one thing Odin never expected was that Zhou Mo, who in his eyes was already strong enough that only the Celestials could erase him, was actually being handled by a Time Stone right now?!

Confirming that all this was truly playing out before his eyes, Odin stared, his expression distorted with shock.

If Zhou Mo could be erased with just the Time Stone... wouldn't it make everything he had done look like a Joker?!

Sensing the gloom appearing on Odin's forehead, a Celestial let out a disdainful snort: "God King, is this 'extreme weakling' the one you wanted us to deal with?"

Several Celestials also showed more or less a smile after hearing this, thinking that the description 'extreme weakling' was very appropriate.

"Whether it's the Electric Lizard or Energon King Kongyou mentioned before, they shouldn't disturb our slumber."

"Yes, in the eyes of the strong, there is no place for these weaklings. God King, you should understand this principle."

"Heh, he's only strong in his eyes; did he scare him? But now, God King, you can consider going back."

The voices of the Celestials came one after another, making Odin's face turn the color of pig liver, and his naturally hanging hand clenched into a tight fist. Unable to lift his head, Odin felt like he really was a Joker!

Who could have thought! Zhou Mo, who had become a synonym for invincibility in his eyes, didn't need this group of monsters behind him to act; even the Ancient Onecould easily handle him?!

With his chest heaving, Odin finally released his fist, looked up, and breathed a long sigh of relief, muttering with a smile: "Regardless, Zhou Mo is dead. That's the best news, isn't it?"

In Zhou Mo's mind, he received a notification that Clock King's experience had increased by 8%... In the magicprojection, a cold light flashed in the Ancient One's eyes. Without any hesitation, she waved her hand and shot another magic ball at the half-remnant body of the Electric Lizard. Upon hitting it, the magic ball obliterated that half-remnant body as well.

After finishing this, the Ancient One finally breathed a sigh of relief. Looking again, on the blood-stained floor, only the Electric Lizard's two calves and feet of different lengths remained.

"I thought this would be difficult." Looking at those feet, the heavy stone in her heart finally fell, and the Ancient One breathed a long sigh of relief with a smile. From those feet, she could feel a sliver of life force like a candle in the wind, rapidly fading away.

Since she had killed the person, she certainly wouldn't let those feet go. But, since she had killed the person, could those feet still run?

Besides the rapidly fading life force of the feet, her perception also made the Ancient One turn her head to look at the doorway, right at the camera above George's head. Perceiving that the person on the other end was the familiar Stark, the Ancient One didn't care much and pulled her attention back.

She needed to send Zhou Mo on his final journey quickly. Waving her hand again, a magic ball shot toward the feet. Mid-flight, the magic ball split into two, targeting each foot respectively.

Gwen's body clearly wasn't under a time stop, yet it was no different from being time-stopped. Her stiff body was out of her control, swaying slightly left and right. Staring blankly at Zhou Mo's body in the pool of blood, which now only consisted of feet, a sentence popped into Gwen's mind: people vomit under extreme stress or fear.

The massive amount of information received by her vision directly overwhelmed her brain's processing capacity. The first action of the newly conscious Gwen wasn't to weep or scream in collapse, but to vomit.

Zhou Mo's status in her heart was no different from family. Witnessing him being killed in such a cruel way before her eyes, anger instantly swallowed Gwen's thoughts. She snapped her head up, her murderous gaze landing on the Ancient One's face.

Sensing this, the Ancient One's thought moved, and Gwen's body became completely immobile, leaving only two lines of hot tears flowing from the corners of her eyes... In the ward, Stark wasn't at the scene but felt as if he were. His shocked mouth gaped as he panted heavily, still shaken.

Stark had a sense of unreality, as if in a dream: "Zhou Mo, is he dead just like that..." As his voice fell, his emotions suddenly became agitated, and Stark's body on the hospital bed trembled: "Zhou Mo, he died just like that?!"

Stark certainly knew that fate was fickle and accidents could happen unexpectedly, but when it actually happened before him, he still couldn't accept it!

The figure of Zhou Mo in his memory began to crumble and disintegrate. Was this the beginning of memory fading? It meant that from now on, there would be no person named Zhou Mo in the World! The glory Zhou Moonce possessed would also begin to perish with his death.

Even without the Ancient One acting to erase memories, as long as enough time passed, people in the World who knew him would slowly forget him, whether they wanted to or not.

The surging emotions inside made his breathing rapid. Stark thought of his parents, who had also vanished so suddenly!

"Sir, I detect that your emotional fluctuations are too high. I suggest closing the monitor." As soon as Friday's voice rose, she was sternly rebuked by Stark. His bloodshot eyes and tearful appearance looked terrifying!

"No!" After the rebuke, Stark's momentum softened: "No... don't close it, let me see him one last time."

Watching the magic balls flying toward the feet, Stark's brain was still working non-stop: "Is Zhou Mo too weak... No! It's not that! It's the Ancient One... no, it's the Time Stone!"

"The power of the Time Stone is too strong; it changed the rules of time on Zhou Mo's body!"

"...And the Ancient One's scheme!" Turning his gaze to the Ancient One, Stark's expression became distorted. How could he not remember? Zhou Mo had the support of the Power Stone and two divine powers. If it weren't for the Ancient One's scheme and the plan for a fair fight.

Stark was certain that even if Zhou Mo were to lose, he would never die in such a pathetic way. At the very least, the Ancient One would definitely not be showing off so proudly as she was now!

But the problem was, with Gwen there, Zhou Mo couldn't use those abilities at all!

He could destroy the World but was unwilling to hurt his girlfriend. What was originally a very manly trait had become his weakness at this moment, causing him to die so pathetically and weakly. Just watching it, Stark felt frustrated to the extreme!

He also didn't expect that after Friday captured Zhou Mo's figure appearing in the residential area and he curiously hacked into the surveillance camera, this would be the scene he would see!

While his mind was thinking, the two magic balls hit the feet, making two "puchi puchi" sounds of flesh shattering.

Hearing the sound, Stark was completely disheartened: "Zhou Mo is dead. Then next, the memory of the whole World should be like what the Ancient One said, tampered with by her, and everyone will forget Zhou Mo, right?"

Thinking of this, Stark laughed miserably.

But just as the smile appeared, Stark saw that the blood flowing from the flesh exploded by the magic ball wasn't bright red, but green.

Stark instinctively felt the urge to rub his eyes. Hiss~ Did Friday turn on minor mode for me?

After blinking rapidly, Stark was sure he hadn't seen it wrong. The flesh from the feet wasn't red, but green! It looked exactly like... a plant!

"Wild Demon Vine!"

Echoing Stark's joyful exclamation, the shattered plant fragments quickly gathered back to their original positions unconsciously. In the blink of an eye, the feet had reappeared in size.

The resentment that had just accumulated in his heart was swept away. If his body didn't forbid it, Stark would definitely have jumped up from the bed: "I knew it, you kid wouldn't be killed so easily!"

"Fuck! This is Zhou Mo! Is he that easy to kill?!" With his emotions running high, Stark shouted threats at the Ancient One from afar.

In the deep space of the Universe, Odin, who was about to teleport back to Asgard, stopped and turned his head back with a premonition of ill omen.

In the living room, Gwen stopped crying as she watched. She quickly blinked to drain the tears from her eyes, revealing her beautiful, bright, sea-blue pupils.

Looking at the reassembled feet, the Ancient One was slightly surprised: "Clearly his body has been time-stopped by me, why can he still move?"

Obviously not the time to overthink, the Ancient Onewaved her hand again, and two magic balls with even greater power than before shot toward the feet. This time, the plant flesh fragments were blown all the way to the doorway.

Watching them still gathering toward their original position, the Ancient One stopped, observed cautiously, and even took the initiative to stand up and move aside.

Gwen and Stark were overjoyed to see this. They knew Zhou Mo wouldn't be killed so easily!

Odin's eyes twitched, thinking to himself, "Even this can't kill him?!" But thinking about it, it made sense; a powerhouse of this level could be reborn even if only a sliver of flesh remained.

The Ancient One did not stop it, and the plant fragments successfully restored the feet. Just as the feet were restored, while Stark was ecstatically waiting for Zhou Mo's rebirth, he noticed the volume of the feet was clearly a size smaller, and his smile froze instantly.

Then, following the same pattern, after the plant fragments exploded and gathered again, the volume was not only another size smaller but also showed clear incompleteness.

Stark couldn't laugh anymore. Rather than healing the body, this seemed more like the final obsession of the Wild Demon Vine's ability before death, striving to give Zhou Mo a complete corpse. It was also like a man before death, trying to crawl back to his wife's side.

Tragic and... pathetic!

Before this, Stark couldn't associate the word "pathetic" with Zhou Mo at all! But now all this made the word "pathetic" keep popping up in his mind!

Clearly able to insta-kill everything, his powerful abilities were either unusable or directly countered by the Ancient One! The only thing he could do was crawl back to the original spot in front of the enemy! Then be blown apart again and again, and restored again and again.

In the World, is there anything more fucking pathetic than this? It could even be said that this was like the Wild Demon Vine wanting to crawl back to let the Ancient Onehit him to her heart's content, so she would release Gwenafter venting her resentment.

When was the Zhou Mo I know ever this pathetic?!

...In the alley, Zhou Mo perceived all this and nodded secretly.

"This one is about to fail, the next one needs to appear immediately."

At this moment, the Clock King's combat experience had reached 57%!

Chapter 115: Unlock Imminent! Clock King at 83% Experience! Ancient One, Just You Wait!

Seeing only two nail-sized fragments left struggling to squirm, the vigilance on the Ancient One's face vanished, replaced by her original victor's smile. Staring at those two fragments, she said playfully, "I thought you had other tricks up your sleeve."

"Now it seems it's just as I expected."

As the Ancient One spoke, she found it hard to believe she had actually succeeded. Fortunately, the bloodstains everywhere and the two small fragments reminded her of the reality of it all. These two small plant fragments were only one last attack away from complete annihilation.

With the same smile on her face, the Ancient One stared at the two fragments in a victor's stance and delivered her victory speech. The only thing that puzzled her was that under time-stop, everything should be completely immobile.

So why could Zhou Mo's Electric Lizard switch to Wild Demon Vine, and why could the remnants of the Wild Demon Vine still move? The Ancient One couldn't figure out this question.

During the initial confrontation, she had felt the Electric Lizard's aura, and then it was time-stopped along with his body. After that, the aura had only reappeared once when his body exploded.

The Ancient One knew the reason for that; the Electric Lizard's body couldn't move, but its vitality was still strong. When vitality is severely damaged, it will naturally struggle for a fleeting moment. But the fact that the Wild Demon Vine could still move completely baffled her.

Deep space.

Seeing this, Odin felt like a survivor of a catastrophe. He patted his chest and let out a sigh of relief in lingering fear. "Seeing the fragments of Zhou Mo's ability still moving, I almost thought he was about to resurrect!"

After speaking, Odin realized that at some point, his back had been soaked with cold sweat! Upon noticing this, he couldn't help but be startled. Had he actually grown so afraid of Zhou Mo?!

Odin's words, as he was about to leave but then returned, caused the Celestials to look at his back with complex expressions, speechless.

They still couldn't understand why Zhou Mo, who was so weak he was being hunted and slaughtered by Earth's Guardian, could scare Odin to such an extent. The only explanation they could think of was weakness—God-King Odin's strength was still too weak.

This whole thing was truly a boring farce.

A Celestial kindly reminded him, "God-King, as the Guardian of the Nine Realms in this Universe, you should enhance your strength to protect order."

The voice came from high above behind him. Reading between the lines, black lines gradually appeared on Odin's forehead.

He could certainly understand what these monsters meant. In their eyes, Zhou Mo was as weak as an ant, and he was even less than an ant! The situation lately was that his incredibly weak self stood before these monsters, frantically explaining to them how terrifying the ant named Zhou Mo was.

Thinking about it, Odin felt he really was a Joker! This Zhou Mo... you could at least fight back a few times to prove to them that you can crush a Father-Class being! Dying in such a pathetic way not only makes you look weak, it makes me look like a coward too.

Odin sighed gloomily. "In the final analysis, it's not that I or Zhou Mo are weak, but that these monsters behind me are too strong. They are simply existences from another dimension!"

Adjusting his emotions, Odin's eyes lit up as he looked into the distance. "Zhou Mo is dead, and the Celestialshave simply healed my injuries. Taking advantage of this time, I can go back and support Thor in ascending the throne."

...Inside the hospital room. Looking at the two squirming plant fragments on the monitor, Stark was dumbfounded. He wondered why the development of the situation was different from what he had imagined?!

Shouldn't the next step be for Zhou Mo to recover and then go on a rampage? Why now... is he dying even more miserably?!

Stark was stunned for a moment, only then realizing that Zhou Mo couldn't be the protagonist at every moment. Then, Stark felt that this whole thing was even more pathetic! His furious gaze landed on the Ancient One. Whether for public or private reasons, Stark naturally wanted to avenge Zhou Mo.

As Earth's Guardian, the Ancient One had finally gone all out, only to have Zhou Mo die in such a pathetic way. How could Stark endure this?! But then, thinking of what the Ancient One said, Stark froze in a daze again.

"Then next, I and the whole World will forget Zhou Mo's existence, as if he never appeared... I won't even have a chance for revenge?!"

Stark screamed inwardly to the heavens, "Pathetic, so pathetic!"

On the monitor, the Ancient One raised her foot over the spot where the two plant fragments were gathered. Just as her sole was about to descend to crush the plant fragments to pieces, Gwen's tragic scream suddenly erupted from behind: "No!"

Her foot suspended mid-air, the Ancient One turned her head in surprise, her brow furrowed. She saw that, through some unknown power, Gwen's mouth had actually broken free from her magic restraint and could make sound again.

Sensing carefully and finding the power came from the Spider Totem, she let out a sigh of relief.

With tears streaming down her face, Gwen screamed in collapse, "He didn't do anything wrong! Why are you doing this to him!"

Looking directly into Gwen's eyes, the Ancient One said calmly, "You cannot accept his departure."

Subconsciously, Gwen wanted to admit it. Zhou Mo had healing abilities; as long as these two fragments remained, she believed Zhou Mo would definitely return. Moreover, she still couldn't understand why this psychopath Ancient One wanted to kill Zhou Mo!

"Bang!" Without giving Gwen a chance to speak, the Ancient One stepped down. Instantly, the aura of the two plant fragments vanished.

In that instant, Gwen's heart stopped, and she felt the whole World go silent.

The Ancient One didn't stop, taking a step forward. "I know this is hard for you to accept, and I don't expect you to. Just please believe that the pain won't last long. You are about to return to normal."

As she spoke, the Ancient One raised both hands toward Gwen's temples.

Gwen saw this and understood her memories were about to be tampered with by the Ancient One, and everything about Zhou Mo would disappear. Her heart went dead, and she stopped moving, with only two lines of hot tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.

In the hospital room, Stark stopped watching. He lay down and closed his eyes, only able to pray that Fridaywould remember Zhou Mo and thus remind him.

Of course he wanted to change things! To stop it! But Zhou Mo was dead! What could he do? If even Zhou Mowas no match for the Ancient One, what could he do?

"Remind me, the clue is Stephen." Stark whispered the command to Friday, thinking that after Stephensucceeded the position in the future, perhaps he could make everyone remember Zhou Mo again.

Friday's response was also calm. "Very well, sir, I will do my best. However, I suggest you..."

In deep space, having given the coordinates, Odinprepared for the Celestials to send him back to Asgard. He closed his eyes in satisfaction. "That bastard Zhou Mois finally dead!"

Before her memories were tampered with, Gwen wanted to take one last look at Zhou Mo, even if it was just the bloodstains left by his remains.

Turning her tearful head to look at the two small holes on the floor mostly covered by bloodstains, Gwen froze.

The next second, with a creak, the door was pushed open again.

Feeling a familiar aura flood the room again, the Ancient One's heart suddenly exploded, and her face turned pale instantly! She turned her head sharply and saw the one who pushed the door open!

Wild Demon Vine!

The plant palm opened and closed, and the two plant fragments it held merged into its body and disappeared.

With a "shing" sound, the Ancient One felt her brain buzzing. In her fright, she quickly took a step back, scanned the bloodstains on the floor, and then quickly looked back at the Wild Demon Vine.

With terror in her eyes, there were only question marks in the Ancient One's heart! Endless question marks!

Hadn't Zhou Mo already been killed by her?... Then who was this?! How could he have the same abilities as Zhou Mo?!

Judging from the aura on the Wild Demon Vine and that X-like symbol, the Ancient One realized this was Zhou Mo. No one else but him had this kind of ability. He was Zhou Mo?

Then!

Who had she just killed?!

Panic crawled across her face, and the Ancient One's brain was a mess. Two Zhou Mos? In the deductions she had made using the Time Stone, there was no such scene!

The only explanation was that she had just killed a clone of Zhou Mo!

But, a clone? Where did he get a clone from?

The more she thought about it, the messier the Ancient One's brain became. While waiting for Zhou Mo's arrival, she had captured the aura of the Electromagnetic Strongman, but what was the difference between the Electromagnetic Strongman and a clone?!

Forcing herself to calm down, the Ancient One deduced the sequence of events.

The appearance of the Electric Lizard's aura earlier wasn't because of a struggle for vitality! It was because, without her knowledge, there was another Electric Lizard hiding outside! He used the two divine powers in his body to shatter the time-stop, allowing the Electric Lizard inside the room to switch to the Wild Demon Vine form!

And she had mistaken it for the Electric Lizard's struggle for vitality? This was a massive misjudgment!

The memory of the Wild Demon Vine closing and opening its hand to merge the plant fragments into its body flashed in her mind. The Ancient One broke down as she corrected herself: she hadn't even killed that clone of Zhou Mo! He had escaped by burrowing into the ground!

The Ancient One guessed that the Wild Demon Vine had used its tentacles to reach into the ground and pick him up! This was also why she had felt the aura of the plant fragments disappear!

And to do all this... the Ancient One's brain worked frantically.

She certainly knew Zhou Mo had the ability to mask his own aura, but she was incredibly familiar with the auras of the abilities he had already displayed; if they appeared, she would definitely capture them. This meant... Zhou Mohad hidden the aura of his new ability and was hiding nearby!

The precise burst of the Electric Lizard outside the room, and the Wild Demon Vine deliberately exposing itself to her after picking up the fragments with its tentacles, showed the boldness and caution of Zhou Mo's actions.

It was a display of provocation against her!

In the hospital room, Friday's voice continued: "I suggest you keep watching."

Stark opened his eyes suspiciously and saw the standoff between the Ancient One and the Wild Demon Vine. At the same time, Gwen and Stark in different locations watched with wild joy.

In the alley, feeling the Wild Demon Vine being battered, Zhou Mo frowned and pursed his lips in sympathy, but after glancing at the Clock King in his mind, he smiled like a blooming flower.

The Clock King's unlock was imminent, with experience points having reached 83%!

Chapter 116 Clock King: Only this level and you dare call it the Time Stone?

Ancient One halted her assault, tiger-like as she glanced at Vision through narrowed eyes; she was almost certain this Wild Demon Vine was another Zhou Mo copy. The one she had to find was Zhou Mo's real body!

With time frozen, the Wild Demon Vine's mangled form stayed motionless—only a thin vine linked its lone remaining foot to its palm, every bit as pitiful. Yet looking at it now, Gwen felt no sorrow; hope lit her eyes and a smile curved her lips.

"Zhou Mo, he must be hiding somewhere, watching me."

Inside the ward, it took Stark a while to accept the fact; he gave a wry laugh. "Since when did Zhou Mo get a clone ability?"

That was something Stark hadn't expected. Drawing a deep breath, he muttered, "So next he'll probably use those clones to beat Ancient One. Then he might truly become Earth's Guardian."

At that thought Stark's smile vanished, worry knitting his brows. "From what I know, Ancient One has lived for centuries, and Earth hasn't been destroyed in all that time. Can Zhou Mo shoulder that responsibility?"

Sensing his anxiety, Friday asked, "Sir, you seem concerned that a future Zhou Mo without checks might trigger a crisis."

His mind read, Stark shot the Friday console a glance, then looked away troubled, sidestepping the question. "After that… he might even evolve some kind of time-control power from Ancient One."

The idea snuffed the joy that had just flared in Stark, replacing it with fresh worry.

As Friday said, if Ancient One lost control before, Zhou Mo and the All-Father Odin could still balance her. But if Zhou Mo loses control in the future, who can check him? Experience told Stark Zhou Mo will almost certainly evolve time-control from Ancient One!

Who could stand against him then?

His frown stayed fixed; the concept of an Anti-Zhou Mo Armor sprang to mind. He didn't hate or want to kill Zhou Mo—he only had to think one step further for Earth and humanity.

Apart from Gwen, the bait to draw Zhou Mo out, Ancient One expanded the time-stop zone geometrically. Bursting through the roof like a sovereign surveying his realm, the ashen-faced sorceress swore to find Zhou Mo.

Watching from deep space, Odin stared slack-jawed—another Zhou Mo clone?!

A mere clone trick shouldn't terrify Odin;clone magic is basic coursework for any mage, useful mostly to confuse foes or briefly boost combat power.

Among Father-Class powerhouses, no mage would bother with such a petty trick; in a sense, clone abilities are just third-rate parlor tricks.

But!

If clones can be paired with Zhou Mo's other powers, everything changes!

Odin already pictured hordes of Electric Lizards or Energon King Kongs!

If that happened… it was over! Who the hell could fight that?!

He spun his head in desperation, casting a helpless plea toward the Celestials—only they could cope!

Yet, as before, the Celestials remained unmoved even when they sensed his silent cry; to them this didn't even qualify as a trick.

Tense and speechless, Odin opened his mouth to warn, but a voice from among the Celestials cut him off: "It seems you are worried."

Before Odin's "Of course!" could leave his lips, the voice continued flatly, "All this is but a boring farce; it changes nothing."

Odin slowly closed his mouth, utterly bewildered. What did that mean?

The voice went on, "This Zhou Mo you speak of will still die at Ancient One's hand."

Even more puzzled, Odin snapped his gaze back, the words echoing in his mind: "Zhou Mo could wear Ancient One down with clones; even a suicidal Energon King Kong could hurt her if it caught her off guard."

"Judging by the situation, Ancient One holds the clear advantage—why would the Celestials say his clone ability changes nothing?"

To Odin, a warning from the mighty Celestials was tantamount to prophecy, yet the scene showed the opposite; he stared in confusion, unsure whom to believe.

Splitting his focus to mask his presence and steer the clone, Zhou Mo's face darkened as Ancient One stopped attacking… As time crawled, Gwen looked at the Wild Demon Vine's wreck and, once her joy cooled, waited calmly: "Zhou Mo's next clone should be coming, right?"

The thought had barely formed before she pursed her lips, dismissing it; Ancient One had widened the time-stop—any other clones hidden nearby couldn't move.

"But he'll definitely come; he always has a way." She smiled smugly.

Who knew Zhou Mo better than she did? The guy was full of dirty tricks—who could outplay him? Thinking that, Gwen sighed theatrically at the vine's remains. "Hmph, I'll be on the losing end all the time when I'm with you!"

"You'd better treat me well, got it?" Knowing Zhou Moprobably couldn't hear, Gwen spoke with newfound boldness.

As the words fell, Gwen caught a silhouette on the ripped-open roof in her peripheral vision; she looked up—not Zhou Mo, but the Ancient One.

"What, couldn't find him?" Gwen sniffed, chin tilted in open provocation.

"Correct." The Ancient One descended, utterly serene, as if she'd swapped personalities; the deep worry that had lined her face was gone. "However—"

With a soft tap she landed smiling before Wild Demon Vine's mangled body. "I don't actually need to locate your real self, do I, Zhou Mo?"

A sudden premonition jolted Gwen; her heart sank—what did that mean?

Circling the ruined vine, the Ancient One cheerfully voiced her deduction: "Maybe yes, maybe no. You're using your mind to pilot this clone—either way, a link exists between them."

"I feared your clone might try a suicide attack, but then I saw you gather the plant fragments. Shreds of its life-force returned to this body and healed it."

She paused, smile widening. "You didn't have to do that, yet you did—proof your clone fears death."

The more she spoke, the more Gwen panicked, her small face draining blood-white.

"So hunting your true body was a mistake. Kill the clone and the damage will flow back along your link to the original. I imagine the effect is identical?"

Still smiling, the Ancient One halted in front of the vine-corpse, gazing up as though admiring a sculpture.

"Oh, right—nearly forgot." She lifted her chin deliberately. "I've always remembered your little quirk of evolving through combat."

At those words Gwen's mind detonated—kill the clone and Zhou Mo's real body dies with it?

Which meant, wherever Zhou Mo was hiding, if the Ancient One destroyed this vine-husk, he would die too.

In the alley Zhou Mo's face darkened in a rueful smile. "Knew it—this gamble was risky." He glanced at Clock King's stalled 83 % bar and sighed. "Here's hoping the plan plays out. Yeah… big gamble."

Behind him Jamie lay on the ground, sobbing. "So you buddied up just to copy my power? You never wanted a brother!"

Zhou Mo spun round, eyes blazing. "What crap, Jamie! You're my sworn brother, my best friend!"

Jamie wiped his nose, then sneered. "Hah, so what?"

Drinks, chats—every move to cozy up had been aimed at copying his cloning gift. Jamie now trusted Zhou Mo zero.

He even wondered if the mastermind plotting a clone army to rule the World wasn't that alien Quill but Zhou Mo himself.

He started to leave past Zhou Mo, but recalled clones had flown off that way; disgusted, he turned. The rear exit? Another clone had left there too.

In the end Jamie trudged back the way he'd come, slipping in the bar's back door and out the front.

"I'll avenge you!" Zhou Mo called after him, waving.

In the ward Stark listened, feeling the twist was shocking yet logical—he remembered every one of Zhou Mo's powers had a flaw.

Eyes on the vine-corpse, Stark gasped. "So the weakness is—kill one clone and they all die?"

His mood roller-coastered; the flaw felt lethal. For safety's sake the power was worse than useless.

"So… Zhou Mo's still going to die?" Stark's Anti-Zhou Mo Armor suddenly seemed pointless, and sorrow welled up again.

Elsewhere, Odin's face flushed with excitement. "Then do it! Strike—kill him!"

And indeed the Ancient One thought the same; her fingers stiffened into a blade that slashed toward the vine-corpse.

"Wait!"

A shout rang from the sky; twin bursts of Divine Forceknocked the Hand-Blade aside.

Sensing the familiar aura, the Ancient One looked up—Zhou Mo, as expected.

"Oh? Did I guess right?" Her smile froze—she now felt Electric Lizard's presence elsewhere and unease surged.

Why was Electric Lizard over there?!

Feeling the plan click, Zhou Mo grinned; Whirlwind Tortoise's exp bar rocketed upward, and with the Time Stone another Clock King avatar stirred.

Sensing his imminent emergence, his silhouette brimmed with excitement.

"At this level you dare claim mastery of time?"

Chapter 117: The ability to control time you mentioned, is it this? Clock King, unlocked successfully!

Somewhere, inside a Villa.

Quickly arriving via the power lines, Electric Lizard angrily shouted at the house, "It was you who hit my brother, wasn't it?! I have to elbow you!" With that, Electric Lizardlaunched a big jump elbow strike.

Black King was holding a wine glass, strolling by the pool with White Queen, discussing their plans, and was inexplicably surprised by Electric Lizard's sudden appearance.

Black King didn't even blink when he saw the elbow strike. The blow landed like hitting steel, emitting a crisp 'bang'.

His eyes blocked by the elbow, Black King's mouth on his lower face curved into a smile: "I don't know who your brother is, but if he really is your brother, he should have told you, I'm immune to damage."

As Black King spoke, Electric Lizard pulled back his elbow and looked, indeed receiving Whirlwind Tortoise's combat experience points in his mind.

As a Mutant, Black King possesses the power to absorb and release energy. Attacks hitting him are instantly absorbed, allowing him to achieve a similar effect of damage immunity.

White Queen wanted to step forward, to block in front of Black King, but Black King stopped her with an outstretched hand. However, her reprimanding voice still came through: "Who are you?!"

Looking at the two, Electric Lizard's mouth twitched: "This Black King doesn't use magic, nor is he a tortoise, so how did he activate Whirlwind Tortoise? Is it just because of this momentary immunity? Ah, never mind, let's finish this quickly."

Electric Lizard shouted: "You dare hit my good brother Jamie? Take another elbow!"

The elbow strike landed again, Black King was puzzled: "Who is Jamie?"

"I told you, he's my good brother!"

"When did I hit him?"

"Seventeen years ago, he told me himself!"

"...Se-seventeen years ago? You're coming for revenge now?!"

"Who cares when it was! Take this!" Grabbing Black King's arms, Electric Lizard began to furiously absorb his energy.

Black King sneered at this: "It seems you don't know me well enough. If I wanted to, I could absorb all the Nuclear Energy in the World..."

Before he finished speaking, Black King suddenly froze. He found that the energy within his body was being siphoned away by Electric Lizard as if there were no obstacles. This... this development isn't quite right, is it?

In response, Electric Lizard stated, you can't even absorb the Sun's energy, while I can drain all the energy from all parallel Universes. We're in different leagues!

...The familiar X-like symbol on Dido, plus the familiar aura—who else could it be but Zhou Mo?

Zhou Mo's sudden appearance startled everyone, and their gazes instantly turned towards him.

After taking a deep breath, Stark's breathing became rapid: "Is it because his weakness was discovered, and he had to come to remedy it?"

This was almost the only reasonable explanation at the moment. It not only proved that Ancient One was telling the truth, but also highlighted Zhou Mo's desperate situation. If he didn't come out now, he would truly die!

Ancient One again raised her Hand-Blade, aiming it at the Wild Demon Vine's remnant body. The moment the Hand-Blade fell, Dido, transformed by Zhou Mo, flew over. On the way, another ability was used, and the flying Electric Lizard raised his hand to block the strike, the Hand-Blade splitting onto Electric Lizard's wrist.

Under the powerful force generated by the two Divine Powers charging within her, Ancient One was sent flying several meters, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

At the same time, taking advantage of this moment, the other ability switched to Wild Demon Vine, absorbing the remnant body of the Wild Demon Vine clone and healing it internally. As his gaze turned towards Ancient One, Wild Demon Vine switched back to Electric Lizard.

The attempt failed, and the injured Ancient One showed no panic, merely wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. To her, whether it was Zhou Mo's main body or a clone no longer mattered. Regardless of whether it was his main body, if she killed it, the main body would also die.

"It seems you have accepted your fate." While speaking calmly, Ancient One's mind was also contemplating countermeasures. Knowing that Zhou Mo possessed the ability to evolve, she was not as calm as she appeared.

She knew that Zhou Mo evolved through combat, but she was unsure to what extent Zhou Mo's evolution had progressed at this moment.

If the next move failed to kill Zhou Mo and allowed him to evolve the ability to control time, it would be disastrous.

Ancient One thought with lingering fear, perhaps her Hand-Blade strike just now had already unlocked it for him? Or perhaps, he couldn't purify abilities from the stones? Looking at the Electric Lizard in front of her, Ancient One's thoughts continuously diverged.

Only one thing Ancient One was certain of: if she had the chance to deliver another blow, she absolutely had to kill Zhou Mo successfully! This was very likely her last chance!

Having only one choice meant having no choice! Confirming that the Time Stone and her connection were still intact, Ancient One's aura surged instantly. With a thought, the Time Stone's ability was once again activated.

As she mentally activated the Time Stone's ability, Ancient One's heart sank, instantly feeling utterly disheartened. She saw that Electric Lizard had changed!

Even though he wasn't affected, Stark was almost as if time-stopped. Holding his breath, not blinking, he dared not move, his heart lodged in his throat.

He just wanted to know, what was this tortoise that Zhou Mo had turned into?!

The moment before the time stop, he clearly saw that Electric Lizard had transformed into this tortoise. It replaced Electric Lizard, standing there on two feet.

Thinking of a certain situation, Stark's eyes widened visibly, so nervous he forgot to breathe!

Could it be that this was the new ability Zhou Mo had unlocked, the ability to control time?!

This was also what made Ancient One's eyes widen, revealing a look of terror. Her Hand-Blade strike just now seemed to have truly become the final crucial experience!

Only the Celestials saw the truth, calmly saying it was not.

Odin, anxious, was about to ask what 'not' meant. Turning his head halfway, his peripheral vision caught the tortoise in the projection moving! Instantly, his entire being felt a heart-shattering petrification on the spot!

It wasn't affected by the Time Stone, and it wasn't an unlocked ability to control time, so what else could it be?!

Black King collapsed, his face pale, Whirlwind Tortoiseunlocked successfully!

This also exceeded White Queen's expectations. Black King actually couldn't defeat this small Electric Lizard? Just as she was about to seek revenge, as Zhou Modeactivated his Dido state, Electric Lizard vanished into thin air before her... Witnessing Whirlwind Tortoise blink, Ancient One's mind went blank, frightened into taking a step back. The once invincible Sorcerer Supremeappeared at this moment like a startled rabbit.

"Unaffected by the Time Stone... he really succeeded in unlocking it?!"

A chill crawled up her spine to the crown of her head, Ancient One's heart was dead: "Then what awaits me next is only death..."

At this moment, the blinking Whirlwind Tortoisecommented: "Hmm, even with the Time Stone, your strength is still not enough; you can't break through my magic defense."

Ripples spread across the silent lake, her thoughts pulled back slightly by these words, and a glimmer of light appeared in Ancient One's eyes.

Wait, defense against magic?...Not the ability to control time?

Her dead heart began to beat again, faster and faster, like a drowning person seeing a lifeline. The light in Ancient One's eyes intensified, and she instinctively, uncertainly, asked: "So, this ability of yours is to possess a certain degree of defense against magic?"

With hands on his hips, Whirlwind Tortoise nodded in satisfaction. His satisfied look was just like a teacher seeing a student finally understand their meaning. Whirlwind Tortoise possessed a certain degree of magicdefense, and Ancient One's strength was inferior to his, so naturally, she couldn't break through his defense.

Regardless of what his satisfied nod specifically meant, Ancient One's heart began to swell with wild joy.

Did I misunderstand from the start? What Zhou Mo could unlock from me wasn't the ability to control time, but formidable defense against magic?!...That makes sense!

Ancient One let out a long sigh of relief, thinking, 'That's right, it makes sense.' In her memory, even someone as powerful as Zhou Mo hadn't been able to evolve any abilities from the Power Stone. She was a sorcerer, so it was only logical that the ability he unlocked was a reduction in magic damage!

The wild joy in Ancient One's heart made her overlook Whirlwind Tortoise's restraint over her. magic and time-stopping being unable to break his defense was far better than him truly evolving the ability to control time!

Moreover, if the defense couldn't be broken once, there could be a second and a third time!

The immense joy even made Ancient One a bit dizzy, directly using the Time Stone to rapidly heal her injuries.

In the deep reaches of the Universe, Odin was numb upon hearing this explanation.

"This tortoise's ability possesses formidable magicdefense?" Odin felt that this was only slightly better than unlocking the ability to control time! A Father-Classsorcerer using the Time Stone couldn't even break this tortoise's defense?

Then if it were him, saying this tortoise was invincible wouldn't be a problem!

Odin lowered his head, physically and mentally exhausted, despairingly believing that at this point, Ancient One would find it difficult to kill Zhou Mo. And the only hope lay with the Celestials. But them?

Odin painfully frowned. Without him even asking, the Celestials' answer already appeared in his ear. Something about this being merely the natural evolution of the Universe, something about it being because he was too weak, which was why he felt Zhou Mo was too strong, and so on.

Looking up at Whirlwind Tortoise, Odin was on the verge of tears: "So I can only watch Zhou Mo constantly grow? Until he destroys the Universe?"

At this moment, a bone-chillingly deep voice came from behind the Celestials: "For this human, The Executor, I need you to go to Earth."

"Huh?!" Odin turned his head in astonishment. From the massive body that emitted this voice, he could feel the overwhelming, bone-chilling... killing intent, even without deliberately sensing it!

"Of course, my tortoise cannot control time." Whirlwind Tortoise shyly rubbed his ( ) head with his webbed hand.

After speaking, his tone changed, becoming utterly cold.

"The ability to control time you're worried about, heh, is this it?"

With that, Whirlwind Tortoise switched to.

Clock King!

Clock King, unlocked successfully!

Chapter 118 – The Terrified Ancient One. Clock King: A tiny ray scared you that much?

A copper-yellow body, the winding key on its head conspicuous, the robot that looked endearingly clumsy became the focus of every gaze.

Staring at it, Gwen felt doubt welling up. Zhou Mo had turned into this robot and could control time? At a glance, she found it hard to connect the dopey-looking machine with such mighty power over time.

"Is it through the key on his head?" Noticing this, Gwenguessed that Zhou Mo might control time by twisting that key.

When Zhou Mo finished switching into Clock King, Ancient One's expression stayed unchanged at first; her delighted smile remained. Of course she wasn't so foolish as to believe everything Zhou Mo said.

But gradually, seeing Clock King's screen-like face calm and unperturbed, suspicion welled up in her eyes and refused to disperse, causing her smile to fade. She thought, "Could he really have evolved the ability to control time from the Time Stone?"

"Or maybe, like that turtle ability just now, it's all my misperception—his power isn't time control at all."

Even if that possibility existed, Ancient One's face darkened; she couldn't rule it out. She stared at Clock King cautiously and made no reckless move.

Inside the ward, the sight of Clock King made Stark's breath catch. He thought of the other robot, Energon King Kong, and then exhaled in relief. "So this robot's weakness should be similar to Energon King Kong's, right? He'll need energy or something."

Recalling that all of Zhou Mo's abilities had weaknesses, Stark felt this was barely acceptable.

"Temporal energy isn't like nuclear energy; it's not everywhere. As long as the Time Stone isn't in Zhou Mo's hands, the scope of his influence won't be large." Narrowing his eyes, Stark stared at the pendant on Ancient One's chest.

He too feared Zhou Mo might alter the World's timeline at will, just like Ancient One.

Deep in space, Odin turned his head back and forth, shifting his gaze between the Celestials and the projected Clock King. All he felt was bewilderment.

"The Celestials want to kill Zhou Mo, but even if this robot can truly control time, so what? In Their eyes the Infinity Stones are just little toys; a time-controlling robot's ability is basically the same as the Time Stone's, isn't it?"

"So shouldn't a time robot also be a tiny toy in Their view?"

Unable to figure it out, he looked back at the projection; thick confusion knitted Odin's brows together.

He really wanted to know why. Everything had seemed fine, yet the moment this time robot appeared, the Celestials were suddenly determined to kill. Even if Zhou Mo's turtle ability had exceeded Their expectations, it shouldn't warrant this—these monsters aren't that petty.

"So, Zhou Mo, why does this ability of yours make Them feel They must eliminate you?"

…While observing cautiously, Ancient One considered testing him with a move. Yet the instant she decided, she sensed energy suddenly surging within Clock King!

With a wave of his hand, Clock King sent forth a time energy both foreign and familiar. The moment she sensed it, Ancient One's expression changed drastically; she activated the Time Stone again without time to think.

Invisibly, two torrents of temporal energy collided like opposing waves. Stark couldn't see the energy, but he could see two air currents slam together; the resulting shockwave sent furniture dancing in a sudden gale through the living room.

The next moment Stark's heart sank: at the doorway, George—frozen by Time Stop for who knew how long—turned his head in confusion toward the three people in the living room.

Seeing his daughter seemingly trapped mid-air, Georgepanicked. "Gwen, what's going on?" As he spoke, the food in his hands hit the floor, and he instinctively reached for the pistol at his waist.

The instant his hand touched the gun, Clock King glanced over and George was stopped in time once more.

Gwen's gaze followed George back to Clock King; her mind couldn't process it, her mouth gaping in shock. From this angle she could see: outside the window behind Clock King the wind was blowing, trees swaying, birds singing!

He lifted the Time Stop Ancient One had set. Realizing this, Gwen's eyes widened to their limit—Zhou Mo's newly evolved robot truly could control time!

The instant that realization struck, goosebumps swept over Gwen's skin.

This was… the power to control time. This robot could actually control time?!

Ignoring the newly dancing furniture, the house now seemed split in two: one half frozen in time, the half where time still flowed.

Confirming this, frost covered Ancient One's face; her Hand-Blade became a clenched fist, veins bulging as if her hand might bleed.

This was the first time she had ever seen Zhou Mo evolve an ability from an Infinity Stone. She simply couldn't comprehend it—how could anyone evolve power from the Time Stone?

Even more absurd… this was a robot! How could a robot control time?!

Even with no interest in technology, Ancient One knew robots couldn't do such a thing.

Ancient One spoke, her low voice carrying an icy chill that made the living-room temperature plummet. "Your power should not come from Earth."

"Tsk~ you actually figured that out?" Clock King planted his hands on his hips. "Alright, to be honest, my home Planet really is Cybertron."

Even as he said it, Zhou Mo quietly breathed a sigh of relief—this time he'd made the first move. He had no choice; the pressure from the Ancient One carrying the Time Stone was simply too great.

Zhou Mo couldn't be sure whether Clock King could still use his abilities while frozen in time, so he cautiously chose to act first, creating this Barrier-like construct.

Inside it, time resets endlessly; even if, by misfortune, the Ancient One freezes him, time will still reset to the instant before the freeze. The Barrier can't be affected by the Ancient One unless he voluntarily dispels it.

Put simply, the Ancient One is about to die… The name Cybertron made Odin search his memories, and the answer was obvious: "His power comes from that Planet? Yet I've never heard of such a World?"

Banishing the stray thought, Odin turned his attention back to the projection; he resolved to find that Planetwhen he had time.

It was that very glance that let Odin see the mounting gravity on the Ancient One's face—sweat even trickled from her brow. "She's clearly under immense pressure," Odin judged in a low voice.

The pressure on the Ancient One was many times greater than Zhou Mo's.

Chanting an Incantation under her breath, the Ancient One swept her hand; magical energy appeared out of thin air, coalescing into a giant palm that shot toward Clock King.

Worried the Time Stone might recharge her opponent, she stuck to her own brand of magic. This palm was a favorite move—she sought to slap Zhou Mo's soul out of his body and shatter his combat strength.

Clock King had meant to wave again, but decided it would hurt his aura; leaving his hands on his hips, he let a stream of temporal light shine from the circular green glass on his chest.

The temporal stream struck the giant male-sized palm, and in the barely visible Blink of an eye the palm shrank and vanished completely.

With the stream still racing toward her, the Ancient Oneflashed to the rear-diagonal of her original spot and dodged.

The beam skimmed past Gwen in mid-air, hit the wooden wall, and this time Stark clearly saw the planks regress to unprocessed timber, then in another Blink turn into a living tree, then into a seed; the seed vanished, leaving the wall utterly empty.

The whole process took less than two seconds; Starkgaped, then sucked in a breath and refocused on Clock King. "So that ray can rewind a target through time."

Realizing this, Stark's heart lurched again: "If it hits the Ancient One, would she rewind to a fertilized egg and vanish? …Or maybe it can fast-forward too—Blink into an old woman, Blink again into ash and gone."

With that thought, a chill ran down Stark's neck; inwardly he cursed, "This ray is bloody terrifying."

Deep in space, Odin still didn't understand: "An effect like this—couldn't the Ancient One achieve it with the Time Stone? Why is she so rattled?"

Under Odin's gaze, the Ancient One's face was frantic; beads of sweat rolled even faster.

Chest and shoulders heaving with deep breaths, she still couldn't calm herself. Glaring at Clock King, she ground her teeth so hard her voice cracked with fear and frost: "You erased that spell, didn't you?!"

After several attempts to cast the spell failed, the Ancient One hurled the question.

At her words, Odin and Stark both jolted in shock, inwardly exclaiming in unison: "He erased the spell?!"

Stark's heart lurched; he muttered dazedly, "So it didn't just stop… the beam rewound her magic to before it was created—uncreated—so it can't be used!"

He has the power to send humanity back to the Stone Age?!

Clock King cheerfully admitted it: "Yep, that's how we Cybertronians roll. Oh, and you're no match for me—better commit suicide and apologize now." He lifted his chin. "Hmph, maybe then I'll let you off."

Gwen: "…"

If she's already dead by suicide, what difference does your forgiveness make?

All right, Zhou Mo seems to be having another episode.

The Ancient One's eyes darted as her thoughts raced. The choice was clear: whatever she used, the robot would erase it! For Stephen and the other sorcerers, she couldn't cast another spell.

Only the Time Stone remained.

Her jaw clenched so hard that veins bulged at her temples and neck; she looked ready to swallow Clock King whole.

"This is my final battle!" Steeling herself, she deepened her link to the Time Stone.

"Next comes the clash between Clock King and the Time Stone—my last desperate gamble!"

Chapter 119 – Clock King Has Grown So Powerful That the Celestials Must Erase Him?!

Channeling the Time Stone with the energy inside her body, Ancient One launched another Time Stop at Clock King. This was no mere probe; even as a spectator one could feel the temporal energy was noticeably stronger than before.

Freeing one hand from its akimbo perch, Clock Kingflicked a Ray of time. The beam collided with the Time Stone's energy, and the shockwave—Neighbors and all—sent every nearby house flying.

Without pause, Ancient One thrust out her other hand; raw arcane energy surged toward Clock King.

Mosquito-like in torso alone, Clock King waved that same hand again, rewinding and erasing the magical energy, indirectly weakening Ancient One.

That strike was only a feint to draw attention; Ancient One's other hand followed instantly—this time not Time Stop but the same rewind power the Time Stonepossessed. She would regress Zhou Mo from child back to zygote and wipe him out.

Ancient One's assault was sheer recklessness, as if she'd gone mad. Clock King had to free his other akimbo hand; a temporal Ray shattered the rewind energy. Much of the furniture caught in the blast turned to dust and was likewise obliterated.

"Hey, lady, ever heard of public decency?"

While a Chest-Beam dissolved the Magic Cage holding Gwen, Clock King glanced up at the hovering Ancient One, thinking: This dame is smashing my future Father-in-Law's stuff… She'll pay for it!!

Neither Zhou Mo's muttered complaints nor Gwen's departure with the Time-Stopped George distracted Ancient One for an instant. In her death-match state she kept her eyes locked on Zhou Mo, attacks unceasing.

Each time Clock King rewound and erased Ancient One's magical strike along the timeline, it sapped a portion of her strength. Yet she kept using bursts of arcane energy as bait, attacking again and again.

First, that energy had been mere bait; she hadn't invested much. Second, her own reserves were vast—losing some was nothing.

Of course she could use the Time Stone to revert herself to her pre-battle peak, but she had no time—not a single second to waste. Temporal and arcane energies rained on Clock King like a storm.

Clock King used both hands and the beam from his chest, parrying while counter-attacking.

The Security Camera by the gate had naturally been shattered, but Friday switched to Satellite feed; one Satellite happened to sit above Zhou Mo's area, unaffected by Time Stop, letting Stark keep watching.

From the Satellite's overhead view, the changes in the surroundings were even more striking than the two combatants.

Houses shattered by the blast would regress into primitive farmland, then leap into skyscrapers. Nearby greenery flickered between towering trees and barren ground. It was like a slideshow, accelerating until it outpaced Stark's sight.

His eyes ached just watching!

A blank stare glazed Stark's eyes; he was utterly bewildered.

He could understand why Zhou Mo had feared the Time Stone—manipulating time was terrifying. Yet now Zhou Mo's newly evolved robot could trade blow for blow with Ancient One wielding the Time Stone?

Ripples of shock ran through Stark. Ordering Friday to swivel the lens, he saw Ancient One's ashen face and sweat-drenched brow, then Clock King still quipping—plainly, the situation was obvious.

Zhou Mo was handling it with ease, while Ancient Onewas struggling desperately.

"This isn't trading blows with the Time Stone—it's overpowering it?!" Realizing this, Stark's eyes widened, recalling the Ultimate Divine Power Tyrannosaurus that had shattered the Power Stone.

Frozen in that reaction for several seconds, Starkdiscovered that extreme speechlessness really can make a person laugh.

"Where on earth do Zhou Mo's powers come from?" Frowning, he locked onto the clumsy watch icon on Clock King's chest—surely the key lay there!

"Sir!" Friday chimed, automatically enlarging one corner of the feed.

In the magnified corner one could see that, just as Clock King's Ray was about to strike Ancient One, she hastily sidestepped. The Ray missed her but hit the Necklacewhipped outward by her sudden motion.

Inside that Necklace was the Time Stone.

Stark forgot to breathe; goosebumps crawled over him. "The Time Stone was hit… so is it—??"

Realizing the same, Ancient One halted her assault and hurriedly looked down at the Necklace. If the Time Stonewere rewound and erased, everything would be ruined!

After several glances—no change to the Necklace—and sensing, she found her link to the Time Stone intact. Staring back at Clock King in astonishment, the mighty sorceress shared Stark's bewilderment.

"The Ray couldn't affect the Time Stone?"

Stark instantly panicked: "Don't tell me Zhou Mo wants to keep the Time Stone to charge up that Time Robot?!"

The scene sank into an eerie hush; every gaze fixed on him, Clock King lowered his hands. Noticing the thick bewilderment in Ancient One's eyes, he planted fists on hips in exasperation: "Stop guessing—my Ray has no effect on anything stable and long-lasting."

With that, he dropped his hands and re-entered combat mode. He told himself he still needed to get better at piloting Clock King; it'd be best if Ancient One gave her absolute best too.

The battle resumed.

Stark listened, half-convinced, not fully buying it—yet after mulling it over he realized it seemed the only explanation: "The Time Stone differs from those big trees in two ways: first, it's stronger; second, it's existed longer than even Ancient One."

Muttering to himself, Stark caught sight of Ancient Oneflusteredly dodging and immediately discarded his first guess: "If sheer strength granted immunity, she wouldn't be struggling like this."

"So it really is as Zhou Mo said?" Judging by the trees, Stark deduced that if 'stable' was the criterion, 'long-lasting' meant roughly one-hundred-fifty to two-hundred years.

"Tch—so why would Zhou Mo volunteer that info?" Starkfurrowed his brow; no one in their right mind would expose their own weakness. His heart skipped a beat; his lowered head snapped up.

What Stark realized was that Zhou Mo hadn't used his other ability! Clock King could neutralize the Time Stone's influence—so if Energon King Kong joined the fray, wouldn't one punch finish Ancient One off?!

If so, why hadn't he? Eyes blinking blankly, dread flooded his pupils: "Is Zhou Mo toying with Ancient One—or is he getting used to a new power?"

"If it's the latter… once he's familiar with it, who is he intending to use it on??!"

"Bang!" A dull thud—Clock King shielded the winding key on his head; the magical strike sent thin white smoke curling from his hands. Glaring at Ancient One, he barked, "What're you doing? Don't hit a guy's weak spot!"

Behind him Gwen froze, cursing inwardly: Zhou Mo's flipping insane again! Why shout out your own weakness?!

Stark: "…Huh?"

Even Ancient One froze mid-strike. Every gaze now locked onto the winding key atop Clock King's head. Sheepishly lowering his hands, Clock King let everyone get a better look.

"Don't hit the face, don't bring up sore spots," Clock Kingmuttered, head low. "Didn't your folks teach you that as a kid? If you smack my weak point, how am I supposed to fight?"

Zhou Mo sighed inwardly in frustration: one of Clock King's weak spots was that winding key—strike it and he'd suffer brief vertigo, losing all combat ability… Deep in the cosmic void.

The more Odin watched, the less sense it made; vexation peaked: "So far Clock King's trading blows with Ancient One channeling the Time Stone—what's so terrifying about that?"

He glanced behind him; from the Celestials, Odin could feel, without even trying, the overflowing, bone-chilling killing intent that could crush mortals. He truly couldn't understand why.

His voice, no longer calm, rumbled like thunder, decisive and low. Eyes fixed on the projection, the The Executorreplied: "If that really is the case, I will!"

Which made Odin even more bewildered: when action wasn't called for, these people were readying themselves to strike?

Certainly not me, Odin mused—another powerhouse stronger than Ancient One, once familiar with the Time Stone, could defeat Zhou Mo's Time Robot; no need for the Celestials to intervene.

And Zhou Mo had voluntarily exposed the robot's weakness—this should be child's play!

If he could figure that out, the Celestials surely had, faster and more accurately. Thinking deeper, Odin realized they must fear Zhou Mo combining Clock King with Electric Lizard or Energon King Kong!

What other reason could the Celestials have for erasing Zhou Mo? There had to be one!

In their solemn state the Celestials didn't need to probe—thoughts from lesser beings drifted straight into their minds. One member, hearing Odin's musings amid the tense atmosphere, could barely endure it.

Damn All-Father, can you stop yammering about that damn Electric Lizard and damn Energon King Kong all day long?!

Yet on one point Odin was right: there was indeed a reason on Clock King that compelled them to erase him!

Chapter 120 – Stark Is Scared Stiff! Clock King's Time Travel?? And a Big Move??!

Knowing Clock King's weakness, the Ancient Onenaturally seized the chance and aimed her attack straight at the spring on his head.

Prepared for this, Zhou Mo used Clock King to deflect the Ancient One's strikes one by one, feeling more and more at ease when countering attacks aimed at his weak spot.

Even though he knew the weakness, Stark still saw no urgency in Clock King's movements as the scenery around them blurred through time. On the contrary, the Ancient One looked increasingly strained.

Stark's expression turned complicated, a creepy feeling he couldn't describe welling up inside. "Why does it feel like Zhou Mo deliberately exposed that weakness just to train himself?"

Baffled, Stark sucked in a breath and scratched his head. "If he's really using this as training, what on earth is Zhou Mo trying to do? There has to be a reason for all of this, right?"

Deep Space.

Behind him the Celestials stood like colossal machines, solemn slaughter replacing mystery as it filled the cosmos. Odin, sensing the same thing, quivered. "Is it to deal with the Celestials?"

Apart from Them, Odin could think of no one else who could be Zhou Mo's opponent. The Celestials were numerous and terrifyingly powerful; once a fight started, whether intentional or not, some stray strike would surely hit the spring on the time robot's head. Was Zhou Mo… rehearsing in advance?

His soul nearly fled in fright. Odin's brows shot up in horror. "He actually wants to evolve a new ability from the Celestials?!"

What ability could he possibly evolve from them? Before Odin could even ponder the question—one that could scare a soul to pieces—his attention snapped back to the projection, the thought replaced by another doubt.

"Why would the Celestials mark him as a target that must be erased?" Watching Clock King, who was gasping for breath with hands on knees, Odin still couldn't understand.

In the projection, the weary Clock King, panting heavily, reached out. "Cut—cut."

Worried the Ancient One wouldn't understand the Central Plains dialect, he added, "Pause. Let me catch my breath."

The Ancient One was also breathing hard, but unlike Clock King's simple fatigue, hers came from injuries. She could have seized this perfect chance to strike the exposed spring, yet, hampered by her wounds, she had to heal first.

Taking the opportunity, Stark hurriedly dictated a voice memo: "Another weakness of the time robot: poor stamina, tires quickly."

With that, Stark exhaled and grinned again. "Trading blows with the Ancient One—this time robot doesn't seem so scary. Hmm, the real terrors are still Electric Lizard and Energon King Kong."

The moment those words left his mouth, Clock King's figure snapped Stark's nerves taut once more. "Wait! Zhou Mo still hasn't used that other ability. So next, he'll probably combine it with either Electric Lizard or Energon King Kong?!"

Stark figured Zhou Mo would use Electric Lizard to recharge the time robot. That weakness could be perfectly offset by Electric Lizard, after which the robot's combat power would skyrocket!

Unable to think of a better partner than Electric Lizard or Energon King Kong, Stark felt his heart pounding in fright—when, in less than a breath, the Time Stone finished healing the Ancient One's injuries!

Her ravaged body whole again, the Ancient One's face darkened. She aimed at the spring atop Clock King's head and, with a sweep of her hand, unleashed a magical assault that seemed to drag half the World behind her, surging toward that spring.

Sod tore away, trees were swept up; at a glance it looked like a horizontal tornado!

The funnel facing Clock King was only man-sized, yet the body trailing behind it blanketed the sky. Soil spiraled and shattered; to Stark the tornado was a colossal drill!

Inside it, countless people and objects turned to phantoms, swept along.

The word "forbidden spell" flashed through his mind. Stark, his face pale with fright, hadn't time to cry out before he saw Clock King straighten, lifting his hands from his knees, while viscous black liquid began oozing from his body.

"Shapeshifter?!" Stark instantly identified it, even more puzzled. "At a time like this he should absorb with Electric Lizard—what's Shapeshifter for?"

Just as the Ancient One's magical attack was about to cross the midpoint between them, Clock King stood firm, merging with Shapeshifter to become Great Clock King. Brass turned pitch-black; when he spoke his voice carried none of Zhou Mo's former banter, calm to an uncanny degree.

"Since you don't want to play anymore, let me take you on a trip."

The instant those words fell, Stark seemed to see a green ring burst from Great Clock King's body. The ring swept out at lightning speed and vanished in a blink, leaving Stark wondering if his eyes had tricked him.

He quickly looked again, and when he saw the halted magical attack he knew it wasn't an illusion. Just before crossing the center point, the Ancient One's strike froze mid-air—utterly motionless!

"Time Stop?!" Stark's mind reeled; then he realized Clock King was still a robot—had Shapeshifter's possession granted some kind of boost?

That much he could grasp, but could the boost really be this huge? Watching Great Clock King stride toward the Ancient One, Stark saw no trace of fatigue in him at all.

"This is my true form." Clock King stepped toward the Ancient One, his voice still calm. "Since you don't want to play anymore, let me end it."

Stark's suspicious gaze landed on the Ancient One's face, wanting to see how she would respond. A glance showed her posture unchanged, motionless.

He stared into her eyes for two seconds—she didn't move, didn't even blink. A dull thud rang out as if a baseball bat had smashed into the back of Stark's head.

His heart pounded, stars burst across his vision!

The Ancient One… had been Time Stop-locked too?!!

Stark's eyes widened in horror, goosebumps rising in the Deep Space chill.

Watching Clock King stride toward the Ancient One, Odin's scalp prickled; every step felt like it landed not on the ground but on his heart, making it lurch wildly.

He couldn't understand how, after showing exhaustion, Clock King—now bolstered by the Shapeshifter—wasn't merely refreshed but stronger than ever. He had frozen even the Time Stone-bearing Ancient One, something the former had been too drained to attempt.

Forcing himself to stay calm, Odin studied the flickering silhouettes in the projection. "Looks like a rewind of time," he muttered, then felt a stab in his chest. "With the Shapeshifter's boost his power surpasses the Time Stone…"

The Celestials behind him watched gravely. "No, this is his own strength. Another power restored him to peak condition; the extra boost hasn't even been used."

"What?!" Odin's mouth fell open. The time-robot could crush the Ancient One from the start—he'd just been toying with her?

"Heh… heh-heh." Odin discovered that extreme speechlessness produces laughter. The unfathomable terror of Clock King sent cold sweat down his spine; his back was already soaked.

"So this is why the Celestials must erase him—he can affect the timeline."

As if answering him, Clock King stepped across an invisible center line. The instant he did, the figures in the projection surged dozens of times faster, swarming over him in a dense tide.

Odin's heart stopped: for a split second he saw identical silhouettes flash on both sides of Clock King.

Goosebumps erupted; the word Multiverse surfaced in Odin's mind. "This time-robot has opened the Multiverse?!"

No time to think. Image after image of time flooded the half of the World where the Ancient One stood—everywhere Odin looked. Among them he saw himself in countless different states.

Some scenes he remembered; most were utterly alien—lives he had never lived. This was the Multiverse.

Odin was paralyzed with fright.

Without using the Shapeshifter's boost, the time-robot had opened the Multiverse on his own—impossible!

While his brain reeled, Odin subconsciously ranked this machine alongside the Electric Lizard and the Energon King Kong.

He nearly screamed: this was far more terrifying than the robot's first appearance!

Terror-struck, Odin glanced back; the Celestials' killing intent was colder and heavier, their aura now laced with unprecedented gravity.

"If he can open it, he can change it…" Odin swallowed, too afraid to finish: "…the timeline of every Universe."

"A being the Celestials are determined to erase—one that can rewrite all cosmic timelines with a wave of its hand."

Repeating it, Odin shuddered; his face showed every sign of tears. Meeting either condition would cost anyone sleep—and the robot met both.

Silently, Odin bumped the Electric Lizard down a rank and placed the machine equal with the Energon King Kong.

This… this was just too damned scary!

Step by step, Clock King reached the Ancient One in the projection and calmly extended a hand. "Next, I'll let you see."

His tone suddenly shifted to regret: "Alas, you won't get to witness my ultimate move."

In the ward, Stark questioned the very meaning of life!

This isn't even your ultimate move?! Then what the hell is your ultimate move??!!!