Chapter 676

In the SHIELD office, when it was Loki's turn to speak, he took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and said: "As humanity's most steadfast ally and the eternal bulwark of the Nine Realms, Asgard naturally supports Earth's righteous actions..."

"Alright, we've established the outcome and the motive—now we just need the method. How do you plan to do it?"

The other three exchanged glances, then all turned to Loki. Loki felt a chill run down his back and rubbed his cheek. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Do Asgardians always speak so briefly and bluntly during meetings?" Nick asked with great tact.

Loki paused briefly. "My speech was already long. If Thor were here, he'd just say three words: How?"

The other three sighed in unison. Sheeler remarked: "Asgard really is a land of simple folk—pity they're lords of the Nine Realms."

Loki shifted his body sideways and glanced at him. "You're not seriously thinking of using Yggdrasil's energy, are you?"

"Can we use it?" Sheeler's eyes lit up instantly. The other two also turned their gazes toward Loki. Loki crossed his arms. "We can use it—but once we tap into its energy, we share Asgard's fate."

Instantly, the three either stared at the ceiling or studied the desk. Loki snorted. "I never imagined I'd be the one with the highest moral standard in a meeting."

"Enough. Let's get to the matter at hand. Since the core objective is settled, let's figure out how to execute it." Sheeler stroked his chin, then proposed:

"If we use Peter, Tony won't agree. If we use Venom, that guy's price is too high—hiring him once makes my heart bleed."

"So—is there any way to bypass those two who've absorbed the faith energy, and do it ourselves?" Sheeler asked.

"Actually, if we trace the source of the faith energy and locate the channel, we can intercept this energy just like we did with Nul's power," Strange explained, clearly more familiar with the mechanics. "Earth's magical defense network is essentially a protective barrier designed to intercept energy."

"The reason it blocks demonic gods is that they're made of pure energy—and the magical defense network can intercept all kinds of energy. If energy can't get in, the demonic gods can't either."

"If we find this channel and connect it to the magical defense network, could we use the network to intercept the energy?" Nick asked.

"Theoretically, this is the fastest and most convenient method. Moreover, the magical defense network doesn't just intercept energy—it can actively siphon it," Strange added a new concept. "The demonic gods who vanish upon colliding with the network aren't dead from impact—they're drained of their energy by the network."

"Many powerful demonic gods avoid direct attacks on Earth for this very reason. Once you touch Earth's magical defense network, you're essentially giving it your address—and telling the Sorcerer Supreme where you are."

"Demonic gods like Dormammu and Mephisto have dimensional defenses that prevent their energy from being siphoned by strange channels—but many others lack such protection."

"During the time when Ancient One was Sorcerer Supreme, most demonic gods who touched the magical defense network lost vast amounts of energy, leaving them weakened. That's why Ancient One could defeat them so easily."

The knowledge Strange explained sounded convoluted, but in essence, it simply emphasized the network's power.

Earth's magical defense network could be understood as a system covering the planet, allowing only energy approved by the Sorcerer Supreme to pass. Once a demonic god's energy connects, the network logs his access information. The Sorcerer Supreme can then use that data to reverse-infiltrate his dimension, remotely siphon his energy, and then show up to cut him down.

"So the only remaining problem is finding the channel through which the faith energy flows." Sheeler thought for a moment. "Based on Stark's behavior, something must be happening beyond the cosmos."

"If I'm not mistaken, it's probably connected to Peter—meaning the faith energy may originate outside this universe. In that case, it won't be easy to track."

"No, actually, that makes it easier to track," Strange suddenly said, surprising them. "None of us can freely travel between universes—but someone can."

"Who?" Nick asked.

"Ancient One."

Ten minutes later, a figure in a yellow robe descended into the room. Instantly, magical radiance outshone the lights. Ancient One's voice, distant and ethereal, echoed from afar.

"Where to kill? How many?"

The mystique shattered instantly. Ancient One materialized, brushed dust off her robe, and said: "Why are you only coming to me now?"

"It's like this..." Strange began explaining the current situation. After listening, Ancient One nodded. "Multiverse-related? That's unusual."

Sheeler heard the term "multiverse" from a native of this world for the first time—others usually referred to the realm beyond as "above the universe."

When Strange pressed for clarification, Ancient One explained: "The realm beyond the universe isn't 'above' it. Universes aren't stacked in any orderly sequence. You may call the realm beyond 'Infinity,' and beyond Infinity lies even greater Infinity."

Sheeler was familiar with the Marvel universe's structure—the multiverse wasn't the end. Beyond it lay Super-Universes, Omnipotent Universes, and more.

Thankfully, Stark wasn't here—he'd have demanded endless details. But none of those present dwelled on these abstract concepts. Then Ancient One spoke again:

"The Morlen family? I recall eliminating one of their members before—in New York. Before he died, he seemed corrupted by some force. Was that the Bat Totem's special ability?"

She recalled further. "I did help that new Totem once—it still hasn't repaid me. But if I can get some faith energy, it's not a bad deal."

"I can search the multiverse for the Morlen family's location. But whether we can find their faith transmission channel—and whether it can even connect to the defense network—is still uncertain," Ancient One said.

Though Strange and the others were nearly certain, none stated it as fact. They believed finding and connecting the channel was the hardest step in the plan. Once that succeeded, siphoning faith energy would be trivial.

But after Ancient One left, Sheeler suddenly remembered something. He asked Strange: "What if Ancient One finds the place and can't resist killing them all?"

Strange's eyes widened instantly. He frantically pulled out his phone and called out: "Master! Please, hold back! Don't kill them! Please hold back!"

A few minutes later, Ancient One sent good news: she'd located the Morlen family's base—and had resisted the urge to slaughter them.

Everyone in the office stood. Strange opened a portal. They arrived near Kamar-Taj's energy core and waited.

Soon, the magical defense network glowed. A golden meteor streaked across the sky from afar and merged into the network.

The four stood in a line, eyes fixed with anticipation as a golden line gradually lit up along the magical defense network.

Meanwhile, in Eddie's apartment, several symbiotes clustered around Venom, while Venom guided Eddie's mind into meditation.

Symbiotes could only exist through hosts, so only Eddie could guide the response. Fortunately, Eddie had worked in writing—he possessed rich imagination—and soon entered the state.

As they had done many times before, they saw a swarm of shadowy bats. As they watched, Venom noticed something odd. "Why are the golden lights on these bats so dimmed?"

"Last time, the golden glow covered most of their wings," Eddie also sensed something wrong. "And the accumulation speed has slowed drastically."

"Jian Lai"

Sensing possible irregularity, Venom abandoned his cautious probing. He directly manipulated Eddie's consciousness to influence the bats.

Then he heard the familiar prayers again—but this time, they were much weaker. Venom also detected a faint, almost imperceptible weariness in the voices.

Not understanding what was happening, Venom assumed it was his imagination. He began executing his plan—but unexpectedly, the response from the other side was no longer swift; it was hesitant.

Only when Venom allowed the faith energy to cover nearly the entire bodies of the bats, leaving just the very tips of their wings untouched, did the golden light suddenly surge.

Instantly, Venom unleashed his power, plundering all the faith energy. Vast amounts flooded into Venom and Eddie's bodies. The other symbiotes extended their symbiote-factor tendrils to Eddie's body, transferring excess energy to themselves.

After repeating this process several times, Venom realized the golden glow had grown thinner and thinner—nearly gone. He guessed the other side's stored faith energy had been drained. If so, he might as well go further.

Venom coated the bats with energy he'd taken from Nul. The other side immediately sensed someone was contesting ownership of the Bat Totem and grew tense.

They poured in more faith energy—but all were absorbed by Venom. Until the last faint, nearly colorless golden glow vanished entirely. Venom finally let out a satisfied burp. The other symbiotes lay sprawled on the sofa, too full to move.

Near Kamar-Taj's energy core, Strange raised his staff. The golden line traveled along the center of the magical defense network and flowed into his staff. Instantly, a starry sky enveloped the surrounding space.

Everyone saw the flock of flying black bats. Strange said gravely: "The siphoning function is activating!"

Instantly, the golden line thickened. The energy surging along it intensified. Sheeler stared fixedly at the line—as if an old farmer watched his ripe crop ready for harvest.

But after prolonged surging, no faith energy flowed through. Strange paused, puzzled. "Wait—something's wrong. Let me recalibrate."

He tried again. Still no faith energy came through. Soon, Ancient One appeared. Her voice held deep confusion: "What's happening? The faith energy on the other side seems gone."

She exchanged a glance with Strange. She waved her hand—the surrounding space transformed. Suddenly, countless thin lines appeared.

Then everyone saw: along the main energy channel, two slender side branches split off—one to the left, one to the right.

At that moment, the last trace of faith energy vanished entirely along the right branch. Across the cosmic void, they heard several satisfied: "Burp!"

Sheeler instantly understood. In Kamar-Taj's grand hall, his roar echoed:

"Someone's stealing power!"