At the center of the cavern was an enormous stone platform. It clearly wasn't naturally formed—it had been carefully carved into a multi-tiered altar. The altar's material was pitch-black, like it could swallow every trace of light.
But what made everyone's hearts tighten was what surrounded it.
Dozens of figures in heavy black robes encircled the altar. Heads bowed, both hands raised toward the center in some strange gesture, they muttered continuously—chanting an ancient, obscure spell filled with blasphemous meaning. Their voices were low and perfectly synchronized, blending into a droning hum that made people dizzy and unfocused as it echoed through the vast cave, making the scene even more eerie.
And the center of the altar wasn't empty.
Something was floating there. But it was wrapped in an extremely dense darkness—almost like black flames, burning and leaping—so no one could see its true shape. They could only make out a vague outline. An indescribable, deeply unsettling aura was leaking from that object, and with each line of the chanting, it pulsed like the heartbeat of a sleeping beast—thump… thump… growing stronger, clearer, more terrifying.
"They're carrying out some kind of summoning or awakening ritual!" Doctor Strange's expression darkened. As the Sorcerer Supreme, he could feel the dreadful power concentrated at its core more than anyone. "That thing… is extremely dangerous!"
"We have to stop them!" Captain America ordered without hesitation.
Their arrival clearly shattered the "balance" of this place. Almost the moment Captain America spoke, the black-robed chanters stopped in unison. Dozens of cold, lifeless gazes snapped toward the intruders at the cave entrance.
No conversation. No warning.
The leader of the robed figures simply lifted a hand and gave a light wave.
In an instant, countless skin-crawling hisses and crawling sounds rose from the shadows around the cavern! More dark monsters—greater in number and far more powerful than the ones from the subway station—surged out like a tide!
These creatures clearly fused traits from every kind of monster they'd faced before: some had claws and fangs, some were covered in hardened bone armor, some could spit corrosive fluids or dark energy blasts… and there were even flying units, like the bat-things from earlier but much larger.
They had only one target—
Tear the intruders into pieces.
"Get ready to fight!" Captain America raised his shield. Facing the oncoming monster flood, he showed not a hint of fear…
"Wooow, okay—this just got lively!" Spider-Man talked big, but his movements were lightning-fast. Web-shots snapped out, instantly tripping several monsters at the front of the charge.
Hawkeye had already claimed a decent high position. His quiver snapped open, different specialized arrows ready to go. "Priority targets: ranged units and flyers!"
Doctor Strange's hands flared with dazzling magic light. Complex arrays unfolded layer by layer in front of him. "I'll restrict their movements as much as I can—and protect the rear!"
Saitama looked at the tide of monsters. His face still held no special expression. He only said simply, "Oh. That's a lot."
Then he took one step forward.
Just that simple step—and he shot into the densest part of the horde like a cannonball!
No technique. Just power.
Where Saitama passed, limbs flew. Black blood and shredded flesh splattered in every direction like a storm. He was like a tireless, absolutely efficient meat grinder—any monster that got close, no matter how big it was or how thick its armor, was destroyed in an instant by pure, overwhelming force.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!] [[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]