I Am in Marvel with Unlimited Cards

"Scarlet Witch loses, Kyle wins!"

"Hellfire loses, Ancient One Sorcerer wins!"

Almost simultaneously, Kyle and the Ancient One reappeared in the empty, silent dueling arena.

After a brief moment of silence, the audience erupted into cheers, their excitement swelling like a tidal wave that threatened to engulf the arena. The simulated starry sky above them seemed to tremble with anticipation.

What was about to unfold was the final battle of this super-powered competition, the ultimate showdown to determine who would be the strongest on Earth.

"I didn't expect you to defeat Hellfire so quickly," Kyle said, looking up at the Ancient One in the distance.

The Ancient One smiled. "That big guy was indeed very strong, but unfortunately, he was too focused on his own power. I lured him into a portal and sent him out of the map."

Kyle nodded, understanding the strategy.

In this competition, stepping outside the designated combat area was considered a loss, one of the pre-set rules they all had to follow.

"Interesting. Ancient One, I'm looking forward to our duel," Kyle said, his eyes locked onto hers. Even before the battle had begun, a fierce fighting spirit surged within him.

This was a battle nearly a century in the making.

Back then, Kyle had only reached the peak of the mundane world, far from being able to compare to the transcendent Ancient One. But now, he stood on equal ground, even aiming to surpass her!

Yet, he knew that unless he defeated the Ancient One, known as the "Earth's Guardian," he could not claim the title of the strongest on Earth.

"So am I," The Ancient One replied.

This time, she didn't shy away. She raised her gaze to meet Kyle's, calm and steady.

As if sensing the charged atmosphere before the battle, the God system intervened, announcing: "The final battle of this super-powered competition will be between Kyle and Ancient One Sorcerer..."

"Now, let the battle begin!"

Although both Kyle and the Ancient One had won their previous matches, Kyle had narrowly edged out a victory by 0.2 seconds, granting him the privilege of choosing the final battle's virtual map.

Not one to exploit map advantages, Kyle chose a setting they were both intimately familiar with— the very origin of everything— the map of New York!

The New York of seventy years ago!

In the old, worn-down virtual cityscape, cold winds whipped through the streets and alleys, stirring up dust as they blew by.

Kyle and the Ancient One appeared at opposite ends of the street.

Venom shed the windbreaker Kyle had been wearing, revealing his black combat suit. His handsome face lit up with enthusiasm, reminiscent of his youthful self during the Second World War.

"Still missing this," Kyle smiled, casually drawing a Carbonadium sword and slinging it across his back.

His intense gaze locked onto the Ancient One, but then he paused, noticing something. "Ancient One, where's your necklace?"

It was then that he realized something significant.

The Ancient One had always worn a necklace containing the Time Stone, a source of her security. It was likely that she only felt safe when it was with her.

That necklace was also one of the Sorcerer Clan's most powerful weapons, capable of reversing past events and foreseeing the future.

But this time, she wasn't wearing it.

The Ancient One looked down at her empty chest and smiled. "I entrusted it to someone else."

"Then congratulations," Kyle said, pausing as understanding dawned on him.

He sensed the mindset with which the Ancient One had entered this competition.

He smirked, teasing, "It's probably time for you to retire. Don't think Earth can't function without you. This is the era of the youngsters."

"Thank you, but I don't think you're a youngster anymore, are you?" The Ancient One replied, her smile bright and rare after hundreds of years.

For centuries, she had been burdened with concerns about the invasion of the Dark Dimension, the safety of the Time Stone, and the future of her successor...

It's hard to imagine the immense pressure this woman must have endured during the centuries when there were no superheroes and Sorcerers were few in number, as she alone carried the burden to reach this point.

So even if she fell into darkness and compromised her own principles, she had to keep fighting for the Earth's survival.

This was the Earth's greatest hero of the past.

...

"Sorcerer Supreme." Outside, Doctor Strange, watching the screen, glanced down at his chest where a pendant on a necklace hung, faintly blinking with a dark green glow.

Mordo stood silently beside him with an unreadable expression on his face, with no one knowing what he was thinking.

The match between Kyle and the Ancient One hadn't started yet. Mordo quietly turned and left the observation square of Carl's domain, unnoticed by Doctor Strange.

Inside the virtual old New York map.

"Ancient One, you are a hero worthy of admiration. I won't pity you, nor will I show any mercy. I will defeat you with my strongest power and ability!" Kyle declared, his fists clenched tightly. Suddenly, a layer of dark, hardened skin enveloped his body, his muscles swelling explosively.

In an instant, a monstrous, black humanoid creature symbolizing slaughter and battle emerged, wild and savage, before the eyes of billions of viewers on Earth.

This was Kyle's battle mode when symbiotically fused with Venom!

Since obtaining his double star form, he had rarely used this mode.

It wasn't that the Venom symbiote mode lacked power. After all, his body was now on the level of the gods, capable of withstanding the shockwaves of a supernova explosion. When combined with Venom's symbiosis, his body had no weaknesses apart from flames and sound waves.

But previously, he had never needed to use this form.

Against past enemies, even the formidable Kree leader or the celestial Ego, as long as he utilized the double star form, they were easily defeated without ever needing Venom!

Venom symbiosis mode.

Its strength lay in allowing Kyle to eliminate his physical weaknesses, merging the divine physique with the symbiote to infinitely enhance his body, becoming the strongest lifeform on Earth without requiring any additional energy.

Even though the spectators were watching the match through the virtual screen, they couldn't help but gasp in shock. Viewers from Imperial Japan and Germany turned pale, quickly exiting the SkyNet broadcast.

This was the true killing god— the one they had feared in the past!

Standing ten meters away, the Ancient One frowned deeply. She could feel the surrounding air as if it had solidified. This wasn't the domain ability like Raina's, but an unprecedented, overwhelming pressure.

"Come!" Kyle let out a low roar, and instantly, the air around him shattered. He pushed off the ground with his feet, causing the earth beneath him to collapse into a pit as a chaotic white whirlwind swept outward.

He moved like a rocket, transforming into a black streak, speeding toward the Ancient One.

The Ancient One's expression shifted slightly. Her movements were swift; she almost didn't need to chant or form any sigils. A half-real, half-illusory golden shield appeared on her right palm.

She pressed the golden shield forward, and the magical runes on it spun and expanded, materializing into a real void shield in front of her.

"Boom!!!"

A dark fist collided with the golden magical shield. The shield cracked visibly, with fractures spreading across it, before slowly shattering apart!

The Ancient One's eyes widened in shock.

(End of chapter)

I have finished translating this fanfic, IMUC (I Am In Marvel With Unlimited Cards) and have posted all the advanced chapters on Patreon (Last Chapter -- 706). (https://www.patreon.com/c/marvel6395). You can read all the advanced chapters there.

"Buzz—"

Kyle's punch, unleashed with devastating force, shattered the missile-resistant magical shield in a mere instant. The raw power of the blow surged forward unabated.

A white spiral of compressed air ripped through the atmosphere, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Vehicles were swept aside like toys, streetlights snapped like twigs, and debris rained down as the ground buckled under the sheer force of the impact.

Even Superman, with his legendary invulnerability, would likely have struggled to withstand such a blow.

On Earth, only a select few heroes possessed the strength to endure such a devastating assault.

Kyle remained in his punching stance, his pale eyes narrowing slightly. But Ancient One was gone.

In a split second, the shield shattered, and she vanished.

"As expected of you," Kyle muttered hoarsely, his gaze sweeping across the scene. "Your reflexes are truly remarkable. But if a single punch could defeat you, wouldn't this battle be rather anticlimactic?"

He saw her – not one Ancient One, but multiple reflections scattered across the surrounding buildings.

To evade his attack, she had retreated into the Mirror Dimension.

The Mirror Dimension and the real world existed on a thin, almost imperceptible plane, a realm only accessible to those with a deep understanding of magic.

As the Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One possessed centuries of magical expertise and had drawn upon the power of the Dark Dimension, granting her unprecedented control over reality.

She could now traverse the boundary between the Mirror Dimension and the real world effortlessly, without the need for elaborate rituals.

"Do you think you can escape by simply vanishing into the Mirror Dimension?" Kyle scoffed, slamming his foot into the ground. The earth caved in, exposing the sewer pipes and cables below.

He didn't care which was real and which was mirrored; with his current strength, he charged aggressively toward the sky above the street, aiming straight for the sky dome.

"Clang—"

With a leap that rivaled Superman, Kyle soared fifty meters high, clearing the nearby old buildings. His head collided with an invisible barrier, and the bright blue sky shattered like glass.

The real sky and streets fragmented into a thousand pieces of shattered glass, cascading towards the ground.

In an instant, his vision cleared. As he continued his ascent, he had breached the barrier between the real world and the Mirror Dimension.

The scene shifted dramatically.

Above him was no longer the sky, but the same old street from the past. However, he was now falling, headfirst, plummeting back towards the ground.

"This is the Mirror Dimension," Kyle realized, his eyes gleaming with understanding.

It was Ancient One's doing.

She had blurred the boundary between the Mirror Dimension and the real world; otherwise, no matter his strength, he wouldn't have been able to break through space with a simple headbutt.

Kyle flipped in mid-air, adjusting his position, and landed feet first on the ground. The road, already ravaged in the real world, was similarly covered in spiderweb-like cracks in the Mirror Dimension.

"You deliberately lured me here because your influence over reality is amplified in this space, right?" Kyle called out, looking up towards the sky.

The Ancient One, hidden within the shadows, remained silent.

But the entire mirrored New York City began to tremble as if experiencing a devastating earthquake. The tall buildings from the old era began to collapse in an orderly fashion, like a row of dominoes.

The city was transforming into a tomb, designed to entomb him alone.

The spectators watched in horror, witnessing this awe-inspiring display of magic.

Earlier, the Ancient One had used this very move to stop a nuclear explosion. Now, facing Kyle, she unleashed it again, indirectly demonstrating that Kyle possessed the power of a human-sized nuclear bomb!

But this attack targeted the entire city!

As they watched the buildings collapse towards Kyle, the spectators couldn't help but think:

"Should I say, as expected of the Earth's protector and Sorcerer Supreme? This move is too powerful, too terrifying – almost unbeatable," Logan sighed in the Watchtower, finally understanding why Kyle had repeatedly emphasized the significance of Ancient One.

"Ancient One, she is truly formidable!"

She represented the pinnacle of Earth's combat strength, the first truly hidden hero in centuries!

Inside the Mirror Dimension of the old New York space.

"Good one!" Kyle wasn't surprised; in fact, he was pleased. He grinned widely, lifting his dark hand above his head, bracing himself for the impending onslaught.

"Boom—!"

The first tower collapsed onto Kyle, but he held it back with both hands, pressing against the immense weight. He continued to push, his dark feet sinking into the already cracked ground, up to his ankles.

This was just the beginning.

From three other directions, more buildings crashed down upon him. The immense weight forced his hands lower, his feet now completely buried in the ground. The surrounding earth struggled to bear the pressure, collapsing and cracking, with water bursting out from beneath.

In the sky, a hundred meters above the city,

The Ancient One stood on a floating platform formed by magic. Her eyes had turned a dark gray, with veins slightly protruding at the corners, stained with an unnatural blackness. She radiated a terrifying, powerful aura.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her hands and pressed them down towards the ground.

In response to the Ancient One's full-strength attack, the buildings surrounding Kyle came crashing in from all directions, overwhelming him.

"Boom— Boom— Boom..."

The sound of collapsing buildings echoed through the air. Kyle managed to endure for a mere second before being buried beneath the avalanche of debris. For the next ten seconds, more and more buildings fell on top of him.

This scene felt like the end of the world, or perhaps the end of the universe itself. The entire city was collapsing, converging towards a single point, leading to total destruction.

The audience watched in silence as everything in the Mirror Dimension was consumed by the relentless onslaught, with Kyle seemingly destined to be buried forever.

Even if the Symbol of Peace lost to this attack, there would be nothing more to say; losing to this attack seemed inevitable.

The Ancient One left the Mirror Dimension and returned to the real world. She fell from a height of hundreds of meters, barely managing to cast a spell to slow her descent, eventually landing on a high-rise balcony.

That high-rise was the New York Sanctum.

Somewhere deep down, the Ancient One had chosen to return here. She leaned against the wall, coughing violently, her face pale.

After a moment, she seemed to realize something and quickly lifted her gaze, scanning the calm New York City below.

The match hadn't been declared over yet, which meant—

Kyle had survived that attack!

''(End of Chapter)''