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"No!!!"
Amidst the deafening roar, Captain America's shouts could still faintly be heard.
However, his shouts did not bring about any effect.
Quickly, the safety passage on this side began to collapse, with countless metal pipes, fences, and chunks of concrete continuously falling from above, filling the air with glaring flames and smoke.
Stark remained silent.
He just silently walked into the midst of the flames.
But in the next second, something suddenly exploded, sending a violent shockwave sweeping through the entire underground base, blasting Stark and his decoy flying back.
Upon seeing this, Strange immediately activated a magic circle.
An orange-red magical circle forcibly blocked the spreading shockwave, also protecting Dr. Banner, Barton, Natasha, and Nick Fury behind him.
However, aside from blasting Stark away, the explosion also flung a charred and broken figure from the flames, which heavily slammed into a metal rack nearby, then tumbled through the air several times before crashing to the ground and rolling a significant distance away.
"Bucky!!!"
Captain America was instantly filled with immense grief upon witnessing this scene.
Yes, the person on the ground was indeed the Winter Soldier, Bucky. To say he was a person might not be entirely accurate now.
Because he was clearly dead, after all, Stark's side started with munitions, and the power of his designed micro-missiles was truly formidable, now having been fired in a salvo of three.
Remember, this is the real world, not the all-ages Marvel movies previously watched.
Thus, the death of the Winter Soldier from the explosion was naturally to be expected.
Stark, wearing his armor, was hardly injured and quickly got up from the ground, then unfastened his faceplate, gasping for breath while looking towards the Winter Soldier in the distance.
However, his expression was not one of vengeance satisfied.
The pain on his face did not diminish at all; instead, it became more complex. He was seen taking deep breaths, then weakly and slowly sat down on the ground, his eyes filled with guilt, confusion, and pain, all entwined together, making him look haggard and powerless.
However, just as Stark was in a state of immense pain and complexity.
A voice suddenly came from behind him.
"What are you doing?"
Stark turned his head reflexively, only to see Fang Mo, who had somehow pulled out several one-meter square black stones, carefully arranging something on the ground.
And the question had been asked by Strange.
"Don't talk, just watch with your heart."
Fang Mo did not explain to Strange but instead suddenly pulled out a strange-looking staff.
The staff was pitch black as ink, its material indiscernible, about as tall as a person, straight, but with a ring-shaped curve at its top, inside which floated a bizarre gem resembling an eyeball.
"...Where did you get this staff from?"
Seeing this, Strange immediately felt a chill, as the staff seemed alive in his perception, emitting a cold and murky aura.
"I told you not to speak."
Fang Mo did not explain further, then took out a thick tome of magic.
The appearance of this book was incredibly deep and dark. Though it was a book, its size was exceedingly exaggerated, as big as a computer tower, with a heavy metal cover engraved with glowing blue-green runes, representing the great guardian of the abyss.
Upon taking out the book of the abyss, Fang Mo then began to manipulate those black stones again.
He placed nine dark stone blocks on the ground, each one meter squared in size. One of the stones was positioned in the very center, while the other eight were arranged around it in different directions, forming a circular ring, much like a crude stone altar.
"Next is to infuse the power of dark magic..."
Fang Mo said, as he directly opened the Abyssal Book and pressed on it.
The energy of the dark forbidden magic flowed out from the pages, wrapping around the black stones surrounding him like a living thing. In the next second, a black mist rose, and the sound of the stones cracking echoed simultaneously.
Originally, these one-meter squared stones had all turned into a sinister altar with a mix of black and red.
As for the main altar in the center, there were even four ghastly pale tallow candles inserted on it, burning without any warmth at the moment. Although it was fire, it somehow gave off a chilling and uncomfortable sensation.
After this,
Fang Mo magically pulled out a bunch of crystals.
Even Nick Fury couldn't help but come over after seeing this scene: "So, you're not going to explain what exactly you're doing?"
"This is the highest realm of alchemy."
Fang Mo still rarely explained to him.
"Refining copper sorcery?"
Nick Fury asked directly.
"Refining people." Fang Mo rolled his eyes, then took out a few name tags, slowly walking towards Stark.
"Wake up, don't space out."
Patting the still dazed Stark, Fang Mo handed over two of the name tags: "Write down your parents' full names on these."
"What are you going to do?"
Stark seemed a bit dazed after hearing this.
"I'm already administering justice for you; how could I harm you?" Fang Mo didn't explain, simply stuffing the two name tags into his hands: "Don't ask, just write it down."
"..."
Stark looked somewhat confused but still subconsciously took the name tags.
After that, Fang Mo turned and walked towards Captain America, mentally unlocking the chains on him.
"Come on, write Bucky's full name."
The same operation, Fang Mo handed the name tag to Captain America: "Full name, or bear the consequences."
"...Bucky is already dead."
As the restraints disappeared, Captain America lost all his strength and slid to the ground, his expression somewhat vacant.
"Old Nick, come here."
Seeing Captain America looking like he had lost his wife, Fang Mo couldn't bother with him and turned his head to beckon Nick Fury: "Of all the Avengers, you're the best with words. Persuade him to write down the name, I need it."
"..."
Nick Fury was quick-witted. After seeing Fang Mo's actions, he also had some guesses, so he took the name tag and went over to Captain America: "Captain, listen to me..."
Anyway, writing down the names was slightly delayed.
During this time, Fang Mo also began to place crystals on the altar.
However, to say they are crystals, these items are merely the crystalline forms of certain elements.
Fang Mo placed a total of six clusters of crystals, each corresponding to the elements in the molecular formula: C, H, N, O, P, and S.
It wasn't long before Stark came over with heavy steps.
"May I ask you a question?"
Stark handed Fang Mo a nameplate while also looking into his eyes, asking, "What do you plan to do with these things? Are you trying to summon spirits? They have been dead for many years, and if possible, I would prefer not to disturb their peace..."
"Don't worry, it's not summoning spirits."
Fang Mo glanced at Stark and couldn't help but notice his terrible state, which was evident from his aura alone.
After achieving his revenge, he was not happy but looked even more pained, his eyes quickly filled with bloodshot veins, and his voice was exceptionally dry. Anyone could see that a heavy and immense torment was torturing his heart.
"Do you believe me?"
Seeing Stark's condition, Fang Mo suddenly asked.
"..."
Hearing this, Stark fell silent for a moment but soon spoke up, "If it weren't for you, I might have already died. Although what you do sometimes is strange, but... I believe you."
"Good."
Fang Mo smiled upon hearing this, then patted his shoulder: "Go rest for a bit."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dr. Banner came over, carefully supporting the staggering Stark: "My God, Tony, are you okay?"
Stark had just left.
Nick Fury also came from afar.
Yes, Captain America might be a bit too heartbroken and didn't come over personally, just sitting in a corner in a daze, not knowing what was going on.
"Many people say my decision was wrong."
Nick Fury handed the nameplate to Fang Mo, speaking calmly, "Sometimes even I doubted my decision, especially after what you just did... But now, it seems like my choice was the right one."
"Indeed."
Fang Mo smiled, perhaps the only person here who truly understood him, and took the nameplate from his hand: "Nick is right."
After receiving three nameplates.
Fang Mo soon turned and walked towards the altar.
He fiddled with the nameplates in his hand, then casually placed one on the central altar.
The ghastly light from the pale candles flickered, casting the names on the nameplates in a light that was intermittently bright and dark, making everyone present feel an indescribable eerie vibration, as if something beyond everything was watching this place from the unreachable depths of the universe.
But Fang Mo ignored these and began chanting with his eyes closed.
Humanly incomprehensible syllables came from his mouth, followed by the sudden opening of the book of the abyss he was holding. The text seemed to come alive, flowing out of the book, wrapped in a horrific scarlet energy that enveloped the altar.
The altar began to tremble eerily, and the flames on the candles surged upwards without warning, merging with the text into something even more indescribable.
And then, quickly.
The nameplate on the main altar suddenly lit up with intense light.
The nameplate read "Maria Collins Carbonell Stark," but soon the text began to melt and move around, twisting like a worm on the altar, swallowing the surrounding crystal clusters.
"In the name of Cha'garoth, the land of fear, resurrect for me, damn it!"
Following Fang Mo's sudden shout, everything on the altar converged crazily towards one point, and then a sound like muffled thunder erupted, and all the eerie phenomena disappeared.
But soon, a woman with a bewildered face walked out from within.
"This... what is this..."
Seeing this scene, Stark immediately stood up from the ground, visibly shaking, and his eyes turned red again in an instant.
"Hi hi hi!"
And at that moment, Fang Mo turned to Stark with a smile: "Didn't expect this, did you?"
"... I played a trick on your mother."