Free Web NovelChapter 314: Chapter 314: The Living Tribunal
The Void Fortress had been completed for less than three minutes.
Levi still stood beneath the Eye of the Void, feeling the expansion of his inner universe.
Thor was holding Stormbreaker, enthusiastically recounting the battle to Clark.
Strange sat cross-legged atop a floating slab of rock, the Eye of Agamotto on his forehead glowing with golden light.
Wanda held Adam in her arms, the child sleeping peacefully.
Then everything stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped completely.
Thor’s raised axe froze in midair.
Clark’s open mouth remained suspended in place.
The Eye of Agamotto ceased its pulsing.
Even Adam’s breathing vanished.
The entire Void Fortress.
The entire DC Universe.
Every flow of time had been paused.
Only Levi could still move.
His head snapped upward.
A golden will descended from the deepest reaches of the Multiverse.
It wasn’t energy.
It wasn’t matter.
Nor was it any form of existence he could comprehend.
It was pure concept.
Absolute authority that stood above all laws and rules.
The two primordial sources within Levi trembled simultaneously.
It felt like instinctive submission engraved into the deepest layers of existence.
His inner universe shook violently.
Countless microscopic cracks spread through the multiversal structure he had only just stabilized.
The galaxies, stars, and planets he had personally created all seemed to tremble beneath that gaze.
Levi clenched his teeth.
What was happening?
Above the Void Fortress, the darkness suddenly split apart.
Dimension itself was torn open.
Golden radiance poured through the rift, illuminating the endless Void.
The light was so intense that Levi had to narrow his eyes.
Then he saw it.
A colossal figure emerged from the opening.
Humanoid.
Yet not entirely human.
It possessed three faces, each turned toward a different direction.
None of them displayed any emotion.
Yet each radiated suffocating authority.
All three spoke simultaneously.
Their voices exploded within Levi’s mind.
"Outsider."
"Variable."
"Disruptor."
"Your existence threatens the balance of the Multiverse."
Levi drew a slow breath.
He recognized it immediately.
The Living Tribunal.
Marvel’s supreme cosmic arbiter.
A being of omniversal rank.
One of the highest entities in existence.
The left face represented Equity.
The right face represented Vengeance.
The central face represented Necessity.
A bitter smile appeared on Levi’s face.
He had only just advanced to the multiversal level.
And the Living Tribunal had already come looking for him.
What incredible luck.
Levi forced himself to stand upright.
He could feel the primordial forces within him trembling violently, as though gripped by an invisible hand.
Galaxies inside his inner universe began collapsing.
Stars he had personally created winked out one after another.
This was the power of an omniversal entity.
No attack was necessary.
Its mere existence crushed everything beneath it.
The Tribunal’s three faces turned toward him.
The Face of Equity spoke first.
"You copied Wolverine’s Healing Factor."
"You copied Captain America’s Super Soldier Serum."
"You copied Captain Marvel’s Binary Form."
"You copied Thor’s Asgardian physiology."
"You copied Superman’s Kryptonian bloodline."
"You have taken power from countless beings and disrupted the laws of multiversal balance."
The Face of Vengeance continued.
"You consumed the timelines of the Council of Kangs."
"You consumed the Void essence of the Anti-Monitor."
"You consumed the authority of destruction from the Silent Universe."
"Your greed now threatens the foundation of the Multiverse."
Finally, the Face of Necessity spoke.
"Now you must choose."
"Surrender all copied powers and return to mortality."
"Or be erased."
Levi clenched his jaw.
An invisible force was stripping away his abilities.
The Healing Factor weakened.
The Super Soldier Serum unraveled. freёwebnovel.com
The energy of Binary Form faded.
No.
Those powers had been earned.
Accumulated one piece at a time.
Won through blood and struggle.
Paid for on battlefields.
Paid for with fifty years frozen beneath the ice.
They were the foundation of everything he protected.
Why should he surrender them?
Levi inhaled deeply and unleashed every ounce of power within him.
The Phoenix Source ignited.
Crimson-gold flames erupted around his body.
The Source of Dominion activated, forcibly stabilizing his inner universe.
He raised his head and stared directly into the Tribunal’s three faces.
"I refuse."
His voice was quiet.
Yet every word carried unwavering determination.
"I earned these powers."
"I didn’t steal them."
"I didn’t rob anyone."
"Behind every ability is a story I fought for with my life."
"I used them to protect Earth."
"To protect the Multiverse."
"I haven’t broken balance."
"I’ve maintained order."
The Living Tribunal remained silent for several seconds.
Then a pillar of golden light descended from above and struck Levi directly.
The Light of Judgment.
Absolute power capable of erasing all existence.
His body began disintegrating.
Skin dissolved into particles of light.
Muscles broke apart into fundamental matter.
Bones evaporated beneath unimaginable heat.
Yet he did not fall.
The Healing Factor operated at full capacity, rebuilding everything that was destroyed.
His Kryptonian physiology absorbed the energy of the judgment beam and converted it into strength.
His Asgardian body supplied endless vitality.
His inner universe collapsed.
Then reformed.
Galaxies died.
Then were reborn.
Stars extinguished.
Then reignited.
Life and death struggled endlessly against one another.
Levi felt his consciousness fading.
Then returning.
His soul was torn into fragments.
Then forcibly reassembled.
Pain.
Greater than any injury he had ever endured.
Yet he clenched his teeth and remained silent.
Because he knew—
If he endured this, he could prove his worth. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Prove that he was not a destroyer.
But a protector.
The golden pillar lasted for three full minutes.
When it finally vanished, Levi remained standing.
Covered in blood.
Clothes in tatters.
But his eyes were as resolute as ever.
He looked up at the Living Tribunal.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"That’s your judgment?"
"I survived."
All three faces fell silent.
That silence was more terrifying than any threat.
Levi could feel an even greater force gathering.
The Face of Equity spoke again.
"Your will is worthy of respect."
"But your existence remains a threat."
The Face of Vengeance continued.
"You have copied too many powers."
"You have broken too many rules."
"Your greed exceeds what the Multiverse can endure."
The Face of Necessity spoke last.
"Then accept the final judgment."
The instant those words fell, three beams of golden light erupted simultaneously from the Tribunal’s eyes.
This was not an energy attack.
It was conceptual erasure.
Levi’s body began disappearing from existence itself.
Not death.
Not destruction.
Erasure from history.
His memories of the World War II battlefield blurred.
His friendship with Logan began fading.
His battles alongside Captain America dissolved.
His meeting with Captain Marvel vanished.
Everyone who had ever known him slowly forgot he existed.
This was the Living Tribunal’s ultimate judgment.
Not killing you.
Making it so you had never existed at all.
Levi gritted his teeth.
His consciousness was disintegrating.
His soul was unraveling.
But he refused to accept it.
He had fought too long.
From the battlefields of World War II to this very moment.
He had copied more than a hundred abilities.
Survived countless brushes with death.
Protected Earth.
Saved universes.
Why should he be erased?
Why?!
The Concept of Greed exploded with full force.
He didn’t merely want to survive.
He wanted to become stronger.
He didn’t merely want to protect himself.
He wanted to protect everyone behind him.
The Concept of Transcendence activated.
He began defining his own form of existence.
"I am not a threat."
"I am a protector."
"I am not a destroyer."
"I am a guardian of order."
The Phoenix Source burned to its absolute limit.
Crimson-gold flames erupted outward and formed a colossal phoenix.
The phoenix spread its wings and released a clear, resonant cry.
The sound pierced through the Judgment Light and echoed across the Multiverse.
The Source of Dominion spun at full power.
His inner universe rotated furiously, absorbing all surrounding energy.
The Law of Space stabilized his existence.
The Law of Time anchored his history.
The Law of Force strengthened his will.
The Law of Life maintained his being.
The Law of Death resisted erasure.
The Law of Mind protected his consciousness.
The Law of Reality reconstructed his form.
Every cell within his body burned.
The Healing Factor repaired endless destruction.
The Super Soldier Serum provided inexhaustible stamina.
His Kryptonian body absorbed all surrounding energy.
His consciousness faded.
Then returned.
His soul shattered.
Then reformed.
A struggle between life and death.
A battle between existence and nothingness.
Levi could feel himself touching something higher.
A realm beyond the multiversal level.
The threshold of omniversal power.
Yet he was still not strong enough.
His accumulation was insufficient.
His understanding incomplete.
The golden beams lasted for five full minutes.
When the light finally faded, Levi was still standing.
His body was covered in blood.
His clothes hung in rags.
Cracks spread across his skin.
Yet his eyes remained unwavering.
He looked up at the Living Tribunal.
A smile appeared once more.
"I’m still alive."
For the first time, all three faces displayed an expression that was difficult to describe.
Not anger.
Not surprise.
Something closer to approval.
The Face of Equity spoke.
"You have passed judgment."
The Face of Vengeance followed.
"You have proven your worth."
The Face of Necessity concluded.
"You are qualified to continue existing."
The golden radiance began to withdraw.
The Living Tribunal’s form gradually became transparent.
Before disappearing completely, it left behind one final message.
"Outsider."
"Variable."
"Protector."
"The balance of the Multiverse has already been broken."
"The experiment of the Beyond Gods has escaped control."
"The countdown to the collision of universes has begun."
"The fate in which all things perish draws near."
"Your power is not enough."
"Your realm is not enough."
"But your will is worthy of expectation."
"Go."
"Become stronger."
"Strong enough to confront the coming catastrophe."
"Strong enough to protect everything you cherish."
With those final words, the Living Tribunal vanished completely.
The golden rift sealed shut.
Time resumed.
Thor.
Clark.
Strange.
Wanda.
All of them were released from the frozen gap between moments.
They looked at Levi.
At the blood covering his body.
At the exhaustion in his eyes.
Shock and concern filled their faces.
Levi opened his mouth to speak.
A mouthful of blood spilled out instead.
His body swayed.
Nearly collapsing.
Wanda was the first to reach him.
"Levi!"
Her voice broke with emotion.
Levi managed a faint smile.
"I’m fine."
"Just a little tired."
He raised his head and looked into the darkness beyond the Void Fortress.
A fervent light burned in his eyes.
Multiversal level wasn’t enough.
He needed to become stronger.
Strong enough to reach the omniversal level.
Strong enough to challenge the Beyond Gods.
Strong enough to protect this world.
He clenched his fist.
The end of all things.
The collision of universes.
The Beyond Gods.
Come.
I’m waiting.
Levi could feel his consciousness slowly retreating from that extreme state.
The cracks in his inner universe were gradually healing.
Shattered galaxies reignited.
Collapsed stars stabilized once more.
He was alive.
And he had become stronger.
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