Superman from the comics: Starting with the Black Robe

Chapter 398 The Soul Gem Thirsts for Sacrifice

Chapter 398 The Soul Gem Thirsts for Sacrifice

This is a planet whose sunlit side is perpetually shrouded in annular solar eclipses. Another planet in the distance, closer to the sun, orbits it at the same angular velocity but with a different orbit, creating this spectacle.

From the perspective of Kepler's third law, this is almost impossible.

However, Joey, who defied all laws of physics, fell from the sky and landed on a cliff covered with ancient inscriptions.

The cliffs here are just like Mount Hua, which Joey had visited long ago. The four sides are steep as if they were cleaved by a knife and axe, with a huge difference in height. If Joey takes another step forward, he will be on the edge of a precipice.

Through the thick fog, below the cliff, Joey saw a circular altar.

"Kal-El, Superman, Joey Joseph Kent —"

On this cliffside altar, a hideous being with a withered and terrifying face, its skin shrunken and shriveled, appeared in the shadows.

If Captain America were here, he would definitely recognize him at first glance and start a fight. This was Red Skull, the leader of Hydra, who was his number one enemy on the Western Front, besides the painter with syphilis.

He should have died from the energy backlash of the Cosmic Cube, but now he's here, at the location of the Soul Stone, which might seem strange to Captain America who wasn't there.

How strange—that's what Red Skull thought.

The reason he didn't appear immediately was because, under the combined influence of the Cosmic Cube, the Space Stone, and the Soul Stone, he could clearly see everyone's real name, origin, and affiliation.

The moment the person appeared before him, Red Skull saw multiple answers, but the other person's origins and affiliation remained shrouded in mystery.

Fortunately, his abilities returned to normal not long afterward, and he was able to see the other party's affiliation: "Son of Jor-El."

"Interesting. What else do you know?"

Joey also felt a little strange—it wasn't surprising that Red Skull, who guarded the Soul Stone, knew his real name since he existed in this universe.

But logically speaking, Red Skull shouldn't know the name Jor-El.

"I also know you've come seeking the Soul Stone."

As a mouthpiece for the Soul Gem, Red Skull doesn't speak such words to everyone who happens to come here, because they may not be qualified.

Superman, who has arrived here, already possesses four of the six Infinity Stones, making him essentially the most qualified person in the universe. That's why Red Skull dared to convey the will of the stones themselves to him: "The Soul Stone is different from the other stones; it has its own soul, in other words—it can think."

Red Skull pointed to the altar beneath the abyss: "To obtain it, you must initiate a sacrifice, just like a line from an opera on Earth goes—'A horse for an entire kingdom.'"

Although he had expected it, Joey still couldn't help but frown when he heard the conditions.

Red Skull's next words struck a nerve with the still-soft spot in Joey's heart: "To gain, you must first lose; exchange what you cherish for a gem."

Even Joey herself, faced with such a question, couldn't immediately discern what she truly cherished.

But what he knew was that Starfire had only recently escaped to Earth—the thought of this made Joey furious.

As a mouthpiece for the Soul Stone, Red Skull attempted to point out the weaknesses within Superman's soul, but was interrupted by Joey raising his hand: "I'm interrupting for a moment."

Joey forced a small smile and pointed at Red Skull: "Let me confirm first, are you the Red Skull I know? The Hydra mastermind, Little Mustache's partner, the seasoned Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America's archenemy?"

"Of course it's me."

Red Skull nodded, surprised that someone billions of light-years away would recognize him, a man from Earth: "You're from—ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt himself engulfed in flames. The intense heat, comparable to the surface of the sun, rapidly ignited him. He couldn't even let out a complete scream before turning into a plume of black smoke and disappearing into ashes.

Having long been protected by the Soul Gem, the Red Skull was accustomed to observing people's hearts through the Soul Gem's power, but hadn't been able to read people's expressions for a long time.

Otherwise, if he had observed closely, he would have noticed that although Joey seemed to be smiling, there was not a trace of a smile in his eyes.

After doing all this, the red light faded from Joey's eyes: "I absolutely love Spicy Crispy!"

Just as Red Skull had said before his death, the Soul Stone itself possessed sentience. It sensed the murderous intent that Joey had suppressed beneath his benevolent expression, but it did not remind itself of this poor, cheap servant.

Why?

Because it's fun, isn't it?

But it soon realized that this was not going to be fun. The energy throughout the summit and beyond was decaying at an exponential rate. Whether tangible or intangible, cosmic radiation or chemical heat, it was sweeping away in the form of energy clouds and converging on a single point in the center.

Now that point has fallen from the sky, transforming into a red trajectory that, with unstoppable force, cleaved into the precipitous mountain above the altar, splitting it in two.

In an instant, the earth shook violently, and the crack continued to expand from its center, spreading from top to bottom across the entire continental plate, gradually evolving from a penetrating wound into a network of cracks covering the entire surface of the planet.

Lava from the Earth's core spewed out from the cracks, and a giant fire ignited on Vormir, causing this planet, which had never seen the light of day, to begin to collapse.

After doing all this, Joey let out a long breath, covering the trillions of planetary fragments. The blood-red magma and flames turned completely black, leaving only a patch of orange light struggling to stay afloat.

That was the altar where the Mind Stone was hidden; now, only this one lonely spot remained on the entire planet.

The Soul Gem still hasn't appeared.

This left Joey a little disappointed—perhaps his power wasn't strong enough, or perhaps the Soul Stone was special and purely physical methods weren't enough?

With this question in mind, Joey reached into his pocket and pulled out the Power Gem he had recently acquired.

Gazing at the red-cloaked figure across a tiny cosmic unit, the Soul Stone had no idea that the other's opening move would be so decisive.

Seeing a familiar purple light flash amidst the glow of the red cloak, the Soul Gem, realizing what the other party had pulled out, quickly transmitted a voice that struck straight to the other's soul: "You madman! This reckless behavior could destroy both gems at the same time!"

The Soul Gem is the essence of soul and existence. Without understanding this, simply relying on pure power to beat it will not break the curse sealing the gem and allow it to manifest!

A purple flame lit up in the distance, but Joey, who was already arrogantly using the Power Gem as a chisel, didn't care about anything else.

He accelerated to his fastest speed ever, and his azure fist and the Power Gem arrived at the altar of the Soul Gem in almost an instant.

At that moment, the Soul Gem quickly transmitted a voice that went straight to the other party's soul: "You madman! This reckless behavior could very well—"

At that moment, Joey's fist stopped steadily in front of the altar, and this attack, which far surpassed that of a god, was stopped immediately.