Eternal Flame.
This was a fire that had burned since the dawn of the universe, a flame that had endured through the creation of stars, the birth and extinction of life, the depletion of energy, and the freezing or self-destruction into black holes.
The Milky Way had emerged from a dark and desolate cosmos, giving rise to countless races over billions of years. Countless civilizations had flourished and illuminated the galaxy's vast expanse.
This Eternal Flame was still burning, making it more accurate to describe it as a concrete manifestation of universal laws than simply a fire.
The Eternal Flame contained the profound power of both rebirth and destruction.
But now, Kyle held this disc of fire and used it as a weapon, slamming it directly onto Hulk's head...
If the previous owner of the Eternal Flame, the Fire Giant, knew about this, he would probably be lamenting in his mountain cave.
If Hela, the Goddess of Death from the cold and shadowy realm of Hel, knew about this, she would probably be rushing to Earth with a sword. Even Odin, the All-Father in Asgard, would likely sit stunned on his divine throne.
After all, this was the Eternal Flame and it is almost as valuable as the Magic Cube. Couldn't it have received a little more respect?
Hearing Hulk's agonized scream and the sizzling sounds accompanying it, Kyle was taken aback by the surprising effect. He hurriedly raised the golden fire disc again.
*Phew...*
The golden disc was held up high, and the Eternal Flame within it continued to burn on its own without extinguishing or growing stronger.
Kyle relaxed as he gazed at Hulk, and his golden irises suddenly contracted, revealing a look of astonishment.
Hulk's current appearance was, to put it mildly, quite pitiful.
He was still on the ground, writhing in pain. A significant portion of his hair had been burnt away. His monstrous face and solid chest were scorched and blackened, resembling raw meat being grilled over a fire, resulting in a half-cooked appearance.
And this was the mighty Hulk!
A being whose skin defied the hottest of weaponry and ammunition! A creature who shrugged off blows from hammers weighing tens of tons, and remained unfazed by flames of five thousand degrees Celsius!
And yet, under the influence of the Eternal Flame, he had been roasted to a half-cooked state?
Kyle smacked his lips, feeling utterly perplexed at this moment. Hulk, the one who could endure a temperature of five thousand degrees Celsius, had turned tender from the touch of the Eternal Flame?
What Kyle didn't know was that in the presence of the Eternal Flame, any life form was treated equally. Despite having the power of an ordinary flame, it was capable of bypassing resistances and defenses, burning with indiscriminate heat.
Not only was Kyle flabbergasted, but the soldiers and officers surrounding them also looked on with incredulity, staring at Hulk, who was now lying on the ground with burn marks.
*Roar!*
Hulk lay writhing on the ground, clutching his scorched body and groaning. His massive physique seemed to deflate, shrinking from Hulk's size down to a regular human's, clad only in a pair of oversized boxer shorts.
Kyle fell into silence, understanding that the battle had concluded. He retracted the Eternal Flame and the Godslayer's Axe back into his Card Space.
"Banner!"
Outside of the battle, as the soldiers looked on in bewilderment, Elisabeth, breaking free from their restraining arms, rushed forward. She fell to her knees and cradled the unconscious Bruce Banner, tears streaming down her face as she called his name.
"All troops, listen to my orders and act!"
General Ross emerged, and with a wave of his hand, the armed soldiers rushed forward and encircled Bruce Banner, Elisabeth, and Kyle.
General Ross gazed at Kyle with respect and politeness. "Mr. Kyle, I truly appreciate your assistance."
Kyle nodded coolly, saying no more.
"Father, please, let him go," Elisabeth implored as she held Bruce in her arms. She looked up at General Ross, her eyes filled with desperation.
"Sorry," General Ross shook his head and issued orders to the surrounding soldiers in a cold tone. "Arrest the target, Bruce Banner, and take him back to the military base immediately."
"Yes, sir!" The assembled soldiers promptly moved to apprehend Bruce Banner. Elisabeth, tearfully crying, tried to stop them, but her efforts were in vain. Eventually, she could only place her hopeful gaze on Kyle.
"Mr. Kyle, please!" Elisabeth pleaded as she knelt on the ground, knowing that the man before her was the only one capable of intervening.
"Elisabeth," General Ross frowned and, full of remorse, said to Kyle, "Mr. Kyle, my daughter is still young, and she doesn't fully understand how the world works."
Young? At thirty years old?
"It's alright," Kyle shrugged. Before General Ross could even smile, he added, "However, Bruce Banner, you can't take him away."
"Huh?" General Ross's face froze.
Simultaneously, several armed soldiers stopped moving, unwilling to touch Bruce Banner on the ground any further.
General Ross nervously took a deep breath and hesitated as he asked, "Mr. Kyle, why can't I take him away?"
"Because I'm taking him." Kyle looked at him calmly and said matter-of-factly, "By the way, I'm currently serving as the Chief Consultant of SHIELD. For the specifics, you can contact SHIELD personnel."
"SHIELD..." General Ross's complexion changed slightly when he heard this.
Of course, he knew about SHIELD. It was an independent, secretive organization that operated beyond the constraints of any one country. It was directly under the management of the United Nations, with highly centralized responsibilities and authority.
In the United States, the local military generally had to cooperate with SHIELD.
If it were an ordinary SHIELD agent, General Ross, as a high-ranking officer, could have forcibly arrested Bruce Banner without hesitation.
But, unfortunately, the other party was Kyle. In any of his private capacities, he wielded more authority than the Chief Consultant of SHIELD.
General Ross sighed inwardly and said in a low voice, "Then... I'll leave him to SHIELD for now. I'll negotiate the specifics with them."
Kyle nodded and lightly clapped his hands.
As if responding to his call, a faint beam of light broke through the sky, carefully avoiding the soldiers and casting its radiance onto Kyle and Bruce Banner.
"That is..." General Ross was taken aback, looking up at the silhouette of an Interstellar fighter jet in the sky, visible vaguely dozens of meters above.
"Goodbye for now," Kyle said calmly. He gently levitated Bruce Banner, and they both began to float upwards towards the hatch of the aircraft in the sky.
"Mr. Kyle!" Elisabeth called out, her voice filled with urgency. "Can I go with Banner?"
"Elisabeth, you're not allowed to go!" General Ross's voice was tinged with anger.
"It doesn't matter," Kyle considered for a moment and said with a faint smile, "Ross, I'll make sure someone looks after your daughter and ensures her safe return."
Kyle raised his finger, and the light beam enveloped Elisabeth.
The three of them, encased in the beam of light, rapidly floated into the cabin of the aircraft as if being absorbed by it.
With the jets roaring, the aircraft changed direction in mid-air and turned into a streak of light, speeding back toward New York.
"General, what should we do now?" One of the soldiers asked with a puzzled expression on his face, as they watched the aircraft depart.
"What else can we do?" General Ross rubbed his beard and glanced around, surveying the transformed lawn, soldiers marred by artillery and divine flames, and the numerous casualties.
He had a feeling of losing both his wife and soldiers. He sighed helplessly and said, "Evacuate the wounded, clear the battlefield."
*(End of this chapter)*