Chapter 535 Both sides are in position
"Items placed on the betting platform will be protected by the gladiatorial contract," the Spirit of the Arena said.
Homelander stood in place, silent, a faint sneer hanging on the corners of his lips.
Thanos likewise made no move; he gripped his Double-Edged Blade, as steady as a mountain.
Neither of them had any intention of taking out the Infinity Stones.
Hand over the Infinity Stones? What a joke.
Both were extremely self-centered and cautious individuals; they would never hand their trump cards over to any third party.
The Spirit of the Arena hovered silently in mid-air, waiting.
After the air had frozen for half a minute, it seemed to discern their thoughts.
"Refusing to hand over the physical items? The rules allow for flexibility..."
The Spirit of the Arena raised its hands.
Two beams of golden light shot out abruptly, striking the arms of Thanos and Homelander respectively.
Homelander frowned slightly and looked down.
He discovered a gladiatorial mark burning with a dark golden glow left on the sleeve of his uniform.
The same pattern appeared on Thanos as well.
"The gladiatorial mark has been generated," the Spirit of the Arena said, lowering its arms. "Since you refuse to deposit the betting items, you now only need to verbally agree to the terms of the bet. Once the contract is established, the loser will be forcibly stripped of their stake."
Thanos looked straight at Homelander and said in a deep voice, "I agree."
Homelander shrugged and grinned at the Spirit of the Arena, "I agree too. Sounds fair."
"Contract established!"
The Spirit of the Arena spread its arms, and a ripple of golden light swept across the entire arena.
"Warning," the Spirit of the Arena said, leaving one final message before vanishing. "Until the final outcome is decided, the Infinity Stones used as the stake will be isolated by the laws of the arena."
"The stones’ ability to distort the laws of the Universe will be temporarily sealed; you can only utilize the stones’ most primitive energy blasts."
With that, the Spirit of the Arena dissolved into countless points of light and retracted back into the coin.
Homelander looked down at the Reality Stone and Time Stone on his glove.
He tried to invoke the concept of time reversal, only to find that there was indeed no reaction.
However, the immense energy within the stones remained abundant.
"Sealed the rules?" Homelander smiled helplessly.
Not being able to use the special effects of the stones was a bit of a pity for him.
Thanos also felt the changes in the Power Stone and Soul Stone on his glove.
He didn’t pay it much mind; although he couldn’t alter the rules, relying solely on the endless power within the stones was enough to crush any obstacle.
Once this was done, the Spirit of the Arena dissolved into countless points of light and vanished.
The two docked platforms quickly retreated, creating distance between them.
Immediately after, a layer of opaque energy shields completely enveloped the platforms of both teams.
From the outside, the two platforms had turned into two massive black hemispheres.
No one could peek at the situation inside, and even sound was isolated.
"Prepare for the first round of competition," the Grandmaster’s voice rang out in the arena. "Both sides, select your first combatant. It is a blind selection mechanism; only when both sides have made their selections will you know who the opponent is."
Inside the Earth team’s platform.
Everyone gathered around.
Steve Rogers stood out immediately and said.
"I’ll take the lead," Steve said, his eyes resolute as he scanned the group. "We don’t know the details of the opposition. My comprehensive abilities are well-rounded, making me suitable for dealing with unknown situations. Even if I lose, I can figure out their tactics."
"Mr. Homelander, I can do it too!" Peter Parker quickly raised his hand, eager to try.
He desperately wanted to show Homelander that he was a capable partner.
"My abilities have been greatly enhanced at school, and I have secret weapons; I can handle them!"
"Kid, step back," Tony pushed Peter back. "This isn’t a street brawl in Queens."
Immediately after, Tony pressed his chest, and his armor covered his entire body.
"Let me go first instead. I can collect first-hand data on the battlefield for everyone."
Thor then spoke up, "I won’t take the lead. I can take out that purple egghead with one axe swing. He got lucky last time; leave him to me this time."
"Homelander, let me go first," Nebula approached Homelander and said with a resolute tone.
"Reason," Homelander said in a calm tone.
"Because they know nothing about the Black Order, whereas I know the weaknesses of every member of the Black Order," Nebula said confidently.
Homelander pondered for a moment.
In truth, to him, it didn’t matter who went first.
Homelander was aware of their respective strengths; as long as they didn’t face Thanos, winning the match wouldn’t be a big problem.
Furthermore, even in the worst-case scenario, he had his persuasive rhetoric to fall back on.
He immediately agreed to let Nebula go first.
"Go on, let them witness the prowess of Miss V," Homelander smiled.
"I will bring back the first victory, for you. This is what I owe you," Nebula responded firmly.
"You never owed me anything, Nebula," Homelander stepped forward and gently placed his hand on Nebula’s shoulder. "All you need to do is live for yourself from now on..."
Live for herself...
And her life from childhood until now had always consisted only of missions...
Nebula stared blankly at Homelander for a few seconds, then nodded heavily.
Upgrade! Gained special popularity value + 10,000! (From Nebula)
"Wait."
The silent Sorcerer Ancient One stepped forward.
"Since it has been decided, I will provide some assurance."
Ancient One stepped forward, extended her hands with a calm expression, and her fingertips quickly traced strings of golden magic runes in the air.
"This is the Protection Spell of Agamotto," Ancient One pushed the runes toward Nebula.
The golden light merged into Nebula’s body, forming a faint golden film on the surface.
Subsequently, Ancient One pulled a small doll made of linen cloth from the sleeve of her robe.
A strange magic circle was drawn on the doll’s chest.
"This is a Substitute Spell," Ancient One placed the doll on the platform floor at her feet. "I will bind it to you. If you suffer a fatal blow on the field and are on the verge of death, your position and this doll’s will be swapped."
"In other words, in the worst-case scenario, you will lose this match, but you will be able to keep your life. Do you understand?"
"It’s not necessary," Nebula frowned and said. "I will win. If I die in battle, then that is my fate..."
"Shut up, your life is a hundred times more important than victory!" Homelander interrupted her without room for argument. "Master did the right thing."
Hearing Homelander’s reprimand, Nebula’s pretty face turned slightly purple; she no longer resisted and softly said to Ancient One, "Thank you."
Then, she strode toward the Portal at the very front of the platform.
At the same time, the giant holographic screen outside the isolation shield lit up.
Grandmaster appeared in the center of the arena and roared, "Combatants from both sides are in position! Now, let us see which two warriors they are!"
On the big screen, two photos lit up respectively.
On the left was Nebula’s cold face.
Below it, a line of large text lit up: Earth Camp — Codename: V.
On the right was a man draped in a red cloak, his face hidden in shadows.
Below it, large text also lit up: Black Order — Red Hood.
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